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Application of chlorine dioxide for disinfection of student health centers

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment volume 184, pages 741–747 (2012)Cite this article

Abstract

In Taiwan, the immediate health care requirements of students and faculty members are satisfied by on-campus medical service centers. The air quality within these centers should comply with the guidelines laid down by the Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Accordingly, this study performed an experimental investigation into the efficiency of various chlorine dioxide applications in disinfecting a local student health center (SHC). The air quality before and after disinfection were evaluated in terms of the bioaerosol levels of bacteria and fungi. The average background levels of bacteria and fungi before disinfection were found to be 1,142 ± 455.4 CFU/m3 and 520 ± 442.4 CFU/m3, respectively. Chlorine dioxide (0.3 mg/m3) was applied using three different methods, namely a single, one-off application, multiple applications within a single day, and regular (daily) applications. Among the three disinfection methods, the regular application method was found to yield a high disinfection efficiency for both bacteria and fungi, i.e., 6.5 ± 0.7% and 4.2 ± 0.3%, respectively. The average residual bacteria and fungi levels after regular daily interval disinfection were 318.8 ± 51.5 CFU/m3 and 254.0 ± 43.8 CFU/m3, respectively. Therefore, the results suggest that the air quality guidelines prescribed by the Taiwan EPA for SHCs and other healthcare facilities can best be achieved by applying chlorine dioxide at regular (daily) intervals.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Resource Management, Chia-Nan University of Pharmacy and Science, Tainan, 71710, Taiwan

    Ching-Shan Hsu, Ming-Chun Lu & Da-Ji Huang

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  1. Ching-Shan Hsu
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  2. Ming-Chun Lu
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  3. Da-Ji Huang
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Correspondence to Ching-Shan Hsu.

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Hsu, CS., Lu, MC. & Huang, DJ. Application of chlorine dioxide for disinfection of student health centers. Environ Monit Assess 184, 741–747 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-011-1998-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-011-1998-6

Keywords

  • Student health center
  • Chlorine dioxide
  • Bioaerosols
  • Bacteria
  • Fungi