Effects of Freon-113 on the survival of bacteria

An initial investigation was made of the bactericidal and sporicidal activity of the dry cleaning solvent Freon-113 (1,1,2-trichlorotrifluoroethane) under various conditions. Representative bacterial strains selected for this study were Escherichia coli (ATCC 11229), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538) and spores of Bacillus globigii (Bacillus subtilis var. niger). Various conditions were studied, including temperature, moisture, detergents and organic load. The results of this study indicate that there is the potential for survival of significant levels of micro-organisms in Freon-113 within the conditions evaluated. However, the bactericidal efficiency of this solvent increases significantly against vegetative forms at elevated temperature and, to a greater extent, upon the addition of detergents. Organic material present in the form of soiled fabric was observed to depress this efficacy whereas bacterial spores were virtually unaffected under all conditions evaluated.