![]() Failure to allow sufficient cooling time may result in an injury if the vial bursts. Retrieve the vial and cool for 10 additional minutes.Ĭaution: The vial is hot and under pressure.After the cycle is complete, remove waste from autoclave and cool.Autoclave material as usual (see instructions for autoclave use).Position the end of the dowel rod with the taped spore vial into the center of the waste load, allowing the opposite end of the dowel rod to stick out of the bag.Securely tape the spore vial to one end of the dowel rod using lab tape or autoclave tape for easy retrieval after processing.Check spore vials to assure that they are not expired.Don PPE (gloves, lab coat, and safety glasses).The vial is retrieved after treatment and incubated to check for cell growth, indicated by a color change. The validation process consists of placing a spore vial (a spore disc inoculated with Geobacillus stearothermophilus spores and a culture medium encased in a glass ampoule with a pH indicator) in the center of representative bags of waste. ![]() Hosting an online log for safety contacts to record monthly validation results.Collecting and disposing of expired spore vials.Delivering additional spore vials to safety contacts.A starter kit containing spore vials, vial crushing tool, and a wood dowel rod for vial retrieval is provided. Providing initial basic autoclave safety and validation orientation to designated safety contacts.To assist people on campus who are generating waste, the Division of Research Safety (DRS) developed an autoclave validation program that provides the following services at no charge: Validation testing with biological indicators is also recommended for labs generating Risk Group 1 biological waste such as non-infectious recombinant or synthetic nucleic acids and for other non-waste material to ensure proper autoclave performance. To be in compliance with state regulations, all campus laboratories or clinical units who generate and autoclave biohazardous waste under Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) containment are required to perform and record monthly validations. However, to assure that the entire biological load has been effectively treated prior to disposal into the regular waste stream, periodic validations using biological indicators should be performed.Īccording to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), Title 35 Illinois Administrative Code Subtitle M, anyone generating and treating infectious biological waste by autoclave shall perform and record validation results at least monthly. Most autoclave users rely on visual and mechanical indicators as routine verification for each autoclave run. They are used to determine if the sterilization cycle parameters were sufficient to kill the test microorganisms. Biological indicators are composed of a standardized population of heat-resistant bacterial spores such as Geobacillus stearothermophilus, most commonly in the form of spore vials.Mechanical indicators are integrated into the autoclave and record the time-temperature-pressure profile attained during a cycle.Note that the color change does not assure decontamination effectiveness it only verifies that the outside of the container came to temperature and does not reflect conditions inside the load. If the tape fails to change color, this alerts the user that there is a problem. ![]() ![]() This indicates that a temperature of 121☌ has been achieved. The most commonly used visual indicator is autoclave tape, which contains a heat-sensitive ink that changes color from white to a visible pattern following processing.
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