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Appl Environ Microbiol. 1970 January; 19(1): 146-151
Copyright © 1970 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Microbiological Aspects of Ethylene Oxide Sterilization

I. Experimental Apparatus and Methods

Research Department, American Sterilizer Company, Erie, Pennsylvania 16512

ABSTRACT

A specially built thermochemical death-rate apparatus is described which can be used to determine the resistance of microorganisms to ethylene oxide under controlled conditions. The apparatus was designed to provide instantaneous exposure of microorganisms to ethylene oxide and to eliminate variables that could result in errors when death kinetic reaction rates are calculated. The apparatus is used to obtain ethylene oxide resistance data which are useful in evaluating and developing sterilizing cycles for materials with known bacterial concentrations, as well as for calculating probability factors on which a given test condition can be expected to provide sterilization.