[Control of infection risks related to air and water in the hospital environment]

Control of infectious risks related to air and water in hospital is far from being consensual. Quantitative estimation of the risk in nosocomial infections is not efficiently done; and standardization and norms are missing for the methods to measure and control biocontamination. For air control a preliminary study is necessary to plan efficient ventilation, taking into account the needs of the unit, the description of an adequate installation, and both its regular maintenance and surveillance. For drinking water and pharmaceutical waters, definition and normalization are adequate. Yet, such is not the case for all devices aimed at increasing the microbiological quality of drinking water or at replacing, for economical reasons, the pharmaceutical sterile water. Some technical possibilities do exist but their use needs perfect maintenance, adequate controls, and good knowledge of their limitations of their indications.