"Before the anthrax events of October 2001, VHP technology had been used around the world for decontaminating critical environment rooms and enclosed areas up to approximately 7,500 cubic feet in a variety of scientific, research and pharmaceutical applications," says Iain McVey, a senior scientist who is supporting the VHP development activities for Strategic Technology Enterprises. After the 2001 anthrax events resulted in the contamination of a number of facilities, the company deployed a high capacity VHP decontamination system that is capable of treating areas as large as 250,000 cubic feet.
McVey and his colleagues demonstrated the ability of the high capacity system to decontaminate a 1.4 million cubic foot government facility that had been contaminated with anthrax spores. The building was subdivided into approximately 250,000 cubic foot zones, and each zone was decontaminated over a period of four to twelve hours. No significant effects on the building's furnishings, including sensitive room fixtures like paintwork, artwork and computers, were observed.
STERIS has successfully demonstrated the efficacy of the VHP technology under a variety of test conditions and in rooms of various sizes. Unlike many corrosive fumigants, VHP – which breaks down into water vapor and oxygen – does not produce hazardous by-products and has a limited degree of reactivity with other materials.
Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide (VHP®) is a registered trademark of STERIS Corporation. Contact STERIS for specific information regarding products or applications. Further information on STERIS can be found online at www.steris.com.
The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) is the largest single life science society, composed of over 42,000 scientists, teachers, physicians, and health professionals. Its mission is to promote research and training in the microbiological sciences and to assist communication between scientists, policymakers, and the public to improve health, economic well being, and the environment.
Further information on the ASM Biodefense Research Meeting can be found online at www.asmbiodefense.org.