We also used Amphyl and a few other products. But bleach was always involved in the process. And autoclaving. I worked in in-vitro diagnostics manufacturing at a major pharmaceutical. We dealt with the real deal- HIV 1/2, Hepatitis C, Chagas, etc. I worked in an area that cleaned up the equipment and prepared it again for future use. Pumps, filters, huge stainless steel tanks, etc. Very specialized work.
At my previous pharmaceutical job we used bleach to clean up biohazardous material. Why is bleach best?
Chlorine must have the ability to tear apart anything living. Chlorine must have the right properties to destroy the basic building blocks of life. It can't kill us in the small amount that is used in bleach, but to the micro-organisms, it's like chemical warfare.
...I wish I could explain this on the chemical level
Ok, I just read about chlorine on answers.com. Among the most notable things:
-chlorine can bond with almost anything
-chlorine is the most active nonmetal besides flourine
-chlorine is an intense "oxidizer"
The last one "chlorine is an intense oxidizer" means it steals oxygen atoms and bonds with them. I think maybe microbes, like humans, need oxygen, and chlorine steals it. This is interesting: oxidizers are also called oxidants, and I notice we're always being told that ANTI-oxidants are GOOD for you.
Reply:bleach is like chemotherapy. kills anything and everything.
Why are you using bleach on stainless steel tanks though... bleach causes stainlesssteel to rust, which is why we have to use ethanol on our incubators and fume hood. for biohazards, it was always UV light. and good old autoclaves
Reply:it is cheap and it kills
Reply:Bleach kills everything. Like high heat, there is no organism, virus or spore that can survive long in bleach.
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