Disinfectants Containing Chlorine: An Occupational Hazard?

摘要

The Belgian national guidelines to prevent transmission of Clostridium difficile in hospitals state that it is justified to use a disinfectant containing 1,000 or 5,000 ppm free chlorine to disinfect the rooms of patients with C. difficile–associated disease (CDAD).1 Concern has risen about the occupational safety of the cleaning employees using the disinfectant at this concentration. We conducted a small test to evaluate the concentration of chlorine in the air while the cleaning employees disinfected a patient's room according to our standard procedure (furniture, door, bathroom, and floor).