An evaluation of buffered peracetic acid as an alternative to chlorine and hydrogen peroxide based disinfectants

This short report documents an in-use evaluation of three disinfectant solutions that was conducted within the operating theatre of a South Australian hospital to address a high occurrence of Clostridium difficile Infection (CDI). The disinfectants were all registered by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and included a buffered peracetic acid, a chlorine-based disinfectant used at 1000 ppm, and a hydrogen peroxide-based disinfectant. The use of the chlorine and hydrogen peroxide disinfectants both caused a number of adverse staff reactions and increased safe-work related incident reporting. The peracetic acid-based product met all criteria for use, including staff acceptance, cleaning expectation, cost and efficacy requirements.