Chlorine bleach no longer strong enough to kill superbugs: study

[supersuds]

...according to a peer-reviewed study in the journal Microbilogy.

"One of the primary chlorine disinfectants currently being used to clean hospital scrubs and surfaces does not kill off the most common cause of antibiotic associated sickness in healthcare settings globally, according to a new study.

"Research by the University of Plymouth has showed spores of Clostridioides difficile, commonly known as C. diff, are completely unaffected despite being treated with high concentrations of bleach used in many hospitals.

"In fact, the chlorine chemicals are no more effective at damaging the spores when used as a surface disinfectant – than using water with no additives."

So much for the belief that Clorox will kill everything!

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1008614

 

[appnut]

C diff can spread like wildfire if it gets to that point of spreading.

 

[gelaundry4ever]

cleaning products

So what cleaning products will kill this disgusting bug?

 

[ozzie908]

Isn't C diff

one of the spores that is only killed with high heat over 60c?

 

[launderess]

Click bait IMHO

While some what alarming it is also a non starter since hospitals, healthcare, laundries and so forth have long moved on from chlorine based disinfectants or sanitizers.

Properly diluted, applied and stored (fresh) peracetic acid products both EPA and European registered disinfectants or sanitizers will kill or reduce Clostridioides difficile spores.

Move away from chlorine based products began some time ago in healthcare and other settings for some of same reasons it had in homes. Damage to textiles or surfaces, environmental concerns, etc...

Main reason hospital/healthcare laundries switched out to hydrogen peroxide/peracetic acid based bleaches and sanitizers/disinfectants is due in part to use of povidone-iodine and chlorhexidine for hand washing, pre-surgical scrub, wound cleaning, and so forth. If residues of either chemical are not totally removed from fabrics before being exposed to chlorine it results in nasty and often permanent brown marks. Oxygen based bleaching, sanitizers, disinfectants do not have this issue.

https://www.gurtler.com/site/wp-content/uploads/Gurtler-Healthcare-Supplement-June-2014.pdf

https://solimix.com/en/peracetic-acid-as-bleaching-agent-for-industrial-laundry/

https://biosanpaa.com/laundry/

https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/disinfection/sterilization/peracetic-acid.html

EPA’s Registered Antimicrobial Products Effective Against Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) Spores [List K] | US EPA

EPA’s Registered Antimicrobial Products Effective against Clostridium difficile Spores

www.epa.gov

 

[tomturbomatic]

Spores are very difficult to eradicate. I remember my father talking about some powerful phenol-based disinfectants that were very effective against most pathogens in various dilutions, I remember him saying that the only way to kill tuberculosis spores was to autoclave contaminated materials with an appropriate disinfectant. Spores are the stuff of 1950s sci-fi stories so I am not surprised that the weakened Chlorine-based products are not effective against them.

 

[supersuds]

Well, it’s certainly a relief if hospitals are moving away from chlorine bleach for this purpose. I can see no evidence of this in the links provided, and curiously Launderess’ last link is to an EPA document which includes sodium hypochlorite on its list of approved substances for dealing with C. Difficile. Maybe the EPA is behind the times? But I’m sure Launderess knows of what she speaks.

I’d like to point out, however, that the original article was posted by the nonprofit American Academy for the Advancement of Science, which accepts no advertising and derives no benefit from publishing “clickbait.” The study was an international one and it is quite possible hospital practices overseas are still using bleach for this purpose (ad the authors of the study seem to assert.)

Maybe he best advice is to stay out of hospitals!

 

[adam-aussie-vac]

I do wonder

Would such artificially generated things, such as UVC, or ozone, would they actually work for killing superbugs? As both of them tend to kill other things, one great example is, when people accidentally put the wrong type of lightbulb in a nightclub, sunburns and welding Flash galore,, plus AutoZone is normally used for water sterilisation in places that would constantly reuse that water. A great example is Car washes.

 

[launderess]

" Maybe the EPA is behind the times?"

Study was only recently released. What normally happens is others will conduct same tests or studies (peer review) to see if they reach same conclusion.

You notice study and or reports about it are heavy with use of word "may".

https://www.healio.com/news/infecti...than-water-at-killing-c-difficile-study-finds

 

[novum]

What was that old disinfectant that used to cause the signature “hospital smell”?
It’s something I remember as a kid and was so strong you could even tell if someone had visited a hospital, but present day hospitals seem to have no such odour.

I’m not taking way way back in the 1950s or something. This was more like the late 80s, early 90s.

These days hospitals seem to just smell of nothing in particular, or maybe a very light scent or something fresh and clean. I’ve never noticed anything really pungent being used.

 

[launderess]

Likely carbolic/phenol. Lysol was used in USA but there are other phenol based disinfectants about.

https://www.pjponline.com/top-5-chemical-disinfectants-used-in-hospitals/

Carbolic soap was once common in hospitals and elsewhere as well.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbolic_soap

 

[DADoES]

 
<blockquote>What was that old disinfectant that used to cause the signature “hospital smell”?</blockquote> Pine-Sol?