Evaluation of the stability and sporicidal activity of three glutaraldehyde solutions during hospital continuous use

Two commercially available glutaraldehydes, Aldetex and Cidex, and one home made product, Glutal, are evaluated on stability and sporicidal activity during hospital continuous use. Increasing the pH and the temperature of storage, negatively affects the stability of the glutaraldehydes. The stability of Cidex (initial pH 8.55) and Glutal (pH 8.70) is, therefore, inferior to that of Aldetex (pH 7.70). In function of time, a gradual decrease in decimal reduction value is observed for the three solutions tested. However, the fall off rate is the highest for Cidex and Glutal. To prevent a progressive increase of the glutaraldehyde concentration in the waste water, a frequent replacement of the latter is advisable.