The authors evaluated vaporized hydrogen peroxide as an alternative to formaldehyde for space biodecontamination in a containment level 3 laboratory suite. The laboratory air pressure during the biodecontamination process was maintained at a slightly negative pressure. This was done as a preventive measure to ensure that hazardous vaporized hydrogen peroxide would not escape during the process. Parameters such as temperature, relative humidity, vaporized hydrogen peroxide concentration, and pressure within the laboratory suite were monitored during the biodecontamination. The success of the decontamination process was validated using spores of G. stearothermophilus, the most resistant microorganism to vaporized hydrogen peroxide (Kokubo et al., 1998;Meszaros, 2005;Rickloff & Orelski, 1989). This research demonstrates the usefulness of vaporized hydrogen peroxide as a space biodecontaminant.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.