Evaluation of Low-Temperature Sterilization using Hydrogen Peroxide Gas Containing Peracetic Acid

In low-temperature sterilization for the medical field, hydrogen peroxide sterilization is widely used for its safety. However, its low penetrability and residual amount of sterilant are major concerns. Recently, the combination of hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid has been found to enforce sporicidal effect, with low concentration in hydrogen peroxide. The application of this finding in medical sterilization is still very limited. To elucidate the combination effect, we compare peracetic acid containing hydrogen peroxide gas sterilizer and conventional hydrogen peroxide gas (plasma) sterilizers. The sterilant penetrability was examined in hollow load process challenge devices with inner diameters of 1 and 2 mm and lengths of 1, 2, and 3 m. As a result, peracetic acid containing hydrogen peroxide gas sterilizer demonstrated total inactivation with all diameters and lengths and achieved the highest sterilant penetrability in this study. The amount of residual sterilant on the surface of the sterilized object was 4.2 μg/cm², which corresponds to half amount of those of conventional hydrogen peroxide gas sterilizers. These results suggest that the addition of peracetic acid to hydrogen peroxide gas sterilizer can enhance sterilization efficiency and safety.