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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Antimicrobial disinfection effect of a laundering procedure for hospital textiles against various indicator bacteria and fungi using different substrates for simulating human excrements.

Recent studies confirm the increase of nosocomial infections and microbial resistance. One of the possible causes is infected textiles due to inappropriate laundering procedures. Most Slovenian laundries use thermal laundering procedures with high energy and water consumption to disinfect hospital textiles. In addition to this fact, there is an increasing number of hospital textiles composed of cotton/polyester blends that cannot endure high temperatures of thermal disinfection. On the other hand, decreasing the temperature of laundering procedures enhances the possibility of pathogenic microorganisms to survive the laundering procedure. In our research, we determined the antimicrobic laundering effect by simulating a common laundering procedure for hospital textiles in the laboratory washing machine at different temperatures by the use of bioindicators. Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Mycobacterium terrae, Enterobacter aerogenes, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were used for determining the antibacterial laundering effect. Candida albicans was used for determining the antifungal laundering effect. Swine blood, artificial sweat, and swine fat were used as substrates for simulating human excrements and were inoculated together with the chosen microorganisms onto cotton pieces to simulate real laundering conditions. It was found that E. faecium, S. aureus, E. aerogenes, and P. aeruginosa survived at 60 degrees C, but no microorganisms were found at 75 degrees C.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of laundering on ability of glove fabrics to decrease the penetration of organophosphate insecticides through in vitro epidermal systems.

Two knit glove fabrics, one of 100% cotton and one of 100% polypropylene, were examined for their capability to decrease the penetration of the organophosphate insecticides (OPs), azinphos-methyl and paraoxon after 4 h at field concentrations (3000 and 15 ppm, respectively) through an in vitro epidermal system (Skin2, Advanced Tissue Systems, LaJolla, CA). The glove fabrics were examined under three different conditions of use: new, after they had been abraded and after they had been abraded and then laundered. New and laundered cotton fabric was also examined for its capability to decrease the penetration of azinphos-methyl through another in vitro epidermal system (Epiderm, MatTek Corp., Ashland, MA), after 4 and 24 h of exposure. Capability of the media under the in vitro epidermal systems to inhibit brain acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was used as the indicator of penetration. Results were compared to OP-caused inhibitions seen in media under the fabric alone and in media under the in vitro epidermal systems alone. Incubations of azinphos-methyl suspensions and the in vitro epidermal systems covered with fabric indicated that both the epidermal cells and fabric provided protection against AChE inhibition caused by this OP and that the protective effects were additive, whether measured after 4 or 24 h of exposure. Therefore, neither laundering nor abrasion followed by laundering altered the capability of the in vitro epidermal systems to absorb azinphos-methyl suspension. For paraoxon solution, however, new cotton glove fabric prevented absorption, and this protective effect, noted after 4 h of exposure, was lost when the fabric was laundered. Abrading the fabric did not cause a greater effect than laundering alone. These results suggest that the pesticide as well as its formulation may be factors of consideration when protective fabrics are chosen, and that, for cotton glove fabric, the protection against some OPs may best be provided before the fabric is laundered.

Absorption↗

PubMed1971

Quantitative studies on fabrics as disseminators of viruses. V. Effect of laundering on poliovirus-contaminated fabrics.

The effects of laundering with both anionic and nonionic detergents in cold, warm, and hot water on poliovirus-contaminated cotton sheeting, cotton terry cloth, washable wool shirting, wool blanketing, dull nylon jersey, and dacron/cotton shirting were determined. The fabrics were exposed to virus by aerosolization and direct contact (pipette) in separate studies. Although the results varied with each factor used in the study, virus titers on all the fabrics were generally reduced considerably by the laundering process. When the fabrics were dried for 20 hr after laundering, an additional decline in virus titers was seen, often to below detectable levels. The type of detergent used made little difference in effect on virus titer reduction, but the hot wash water markedly reduced the detectable virus. Fabric type was not a major factor in the majority of the experiments, although virus tended to be eliminated more readily from the nylon jersey, and in warm water the virus persisted longer on wool blanketing material laundered in anionic detergent. Sterile fabrics of each type laundered with similar fabrics which contained virus often became contaminated by the virus during the laundering process. Virus titers ranging from undetectable to 10(3.9) cell culture 50% infectious doses/ml were obtained from samples of the rinse water after warm- and cold-water laundering.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

Effect of laundering on the barrier properties of reusable surgical gown fabrics.

BACKGROUND: Relationships between selected fabric characteristics and the barrier effectiveness of surgical gown fabrics to bacterial transmission were examined. The effect of laundering on these characteristics was determined. METHODS: Five commercially available reusable surgical gowns were evaluated in this study. Four of the gowns were produced from woven fabrics. One gown was produced from a 3-layer composite that contained a microporous membrane between a woven and knit fabric. By using standard test methods, the following characteristics were evaluated: thickness, weight, pore size, and oil and water repellency. Gowns were laundered 25 and 50 times by a commercial laundry service that specialized in cleaning surgical gowns. Gown fabrics were sterilized only before laboratory evaluation and not after each laundering cycle. Resistance of the fabrics to the transmission of microorganism suspensions under a hydrostatic pressure was determined. Staphylococcus aureus was the microorganism used in this study. CONCLUSIONS: A combination of several fabric characteristics were associated with the barrier properties of the surgical gown fabrics studied. Repellency and pore size contributed to gown performance. Laundering reduced the ability of the fabric to prevent the transmission of bacteria through the fabrics. Only 1 fabric showed no transmission of bacteria after laundering. This fabric retained the greatest degree of repellency and had the greatest thickness. Higher repellency ratings generally corresponded with higher barrier properties. Two fabrics showed no significant increase in the amount of bacteria that transmitted through the fabric after laundering. Both of these gowns were reinforced with a second fabric layer.

Bacteria↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Home- versus hospital-laundered scrubs: a pilot study.

PURPOSE: To determine the presence of pathogens on scrub attire that had been either laundered at home or in the hospital. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Quasi-experimental research design with a convenience sample. The left front shoulders of home-laundered scrubs (n = 30) and hospital-laundered scrubs (n = 20) were cultured during the first 2 hours of a single workday. For the home-laundered scrubs, data were collected concerning home washing procedures, water temperature, pets in the home, and donning procedures. RESULTS: No pathogenic growth was found on either the hospital- or home-laundered scrubs. In addition, no relationships were found between home washing procedures, water temperature, pets in the home, and donning procedures. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The results of this pilot study suggested that scrubs laundered both at home and in the hospital were free of pathogens, and that differing home washing procedures made no difference. Further investigation is necessary with larger numbers of subjects.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Is money laundering a true problem in China?

Money laundering was stipulated as an offense by Chinese criminal law more than 10 years ago. However, the judicial situation is such that no one has yet been prosecuted for it. This article describes the phenomena that are closely related to money laundering, namely the current situation of the predicate offences and other factors conducive to money laundering such as corruption, underground bank shops, and shell companies. Based on these facts, the article infers that money laundering is a real problem in China. Then it explores the reasons why case examples of money laundering are not available. Finally, this article presents some of the factors necessary in the investigation of money laundering.

China↗

PubMed2005

Laundering of hospital staff uniforms at home.

Few hospitals now launder staff uniforms. Staff are expected to use their own domestic machines, most of which run with 40 degrees C cycles. However, there is little information on the effectiveness of home laundering. This study demonstrates that domestic washing machines reduce viable counts of Staphylococcus aureus to below detectable levels from an inoculum of 10(8)-10(12) colony-forming units (>or=10(6)-fold reduction), even using low temperature (40 degrees C) programmes. Environmental organisms, predominantly Gram-negative flora, were introduced from the machine itself but were destroyed by tumble drying or ironing. Domestic laundering of uniforms is an acceptable alternative to hospital laundering if combined with tumble drying or ironing.

Clothing↗

PubMed1998

Aseptics and aesthetics of chlorine bleach: can its use in laundering be safely abandoned?

The disinfecting and cleansing properties of chlorine bleach in high-temperature laundering formulations first was demonstrated in 1938, and subsequently was found to be equally effective in lower-temperature formulations that included modifications in the laundering cycle. Until another well-documented bleaching additive becomes commercially available, chlorine bleach should continue to be an integral part of the laundering formulations for all textiles used in health care facilities.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.↗

PubMed1990

Pesticide decontamination from fabric by laundering and simulated weathering.

This laboratory study investigated the effectiveness of selected detergents and the phenomenon of simulated environmental conditions (weathering) on the removal of a commercial-grade mixture of parathion and methyl parathion from a three-layer laminated fabric. The weathering treatment consisted of exposure and non-exposure to simulated environmental conditions of heat, light, and humidity. Contaminated fabric samples were laundered in one of three detergents containing an anionic, a nonionic, and a combined anionic and nonionic surfactant. The test fabric, a three-layer fabric containing an impermeable microporous film laminated between two layers of nylon, was pipette-contaminated with 400 microliters of field strength pesticide solution and allowed to dry. Half of the contaminated samples were weathered in an Atlas Fade-Ometer. All of the contaminated samples were subsequently laundered in a Launder-Ometer. Percent of pesticide residue was determined by gas chromatography. Weathering did significantly reduce both parathion and methyl parathion residues remaining in the test fabric. No statistically significant difference was found among the three detergents. High amounts of both parathion and methyl parathion remained in the test fabric after weathering and laundry treatments. Before the test fabric can be recommended for use in protective garments further research is needed to develop more effective decontamination procedures.

Detergents↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Tracking perinatal infection: is it safe to launder your scrubs at home?

PURPOSE: This descriptive pilot study was conducted during 1991 and 1992 to determine the effect of wearing home-laundered scrub clothing in labor and delivery on the perinatal infection rate. METHOD: Unit meetings were conducted to instruct the 68 participating employees to launder their scrub clothing in an automatic washing machine, and to dry them in an automatic dryer on a hot setting. Statistics, including total births and cesarean births, were gathered, including all cesarean births during the years of 1991 and 1992 at the two study sites. Infection rates were monitored by the infection control department and reported frequently to the infection control committee and the medical and nursing staff. Employees were surveyed to assess their satisfaction after purchasing and wearing their own scrub clothing. The method for determining the perinatal infection rate in this study was based on the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System, which combines exogenous and endogenous factors when assessing the rate of wound infections(6). The method for monitoring the newborn infection rate in this study was outbreak surveillance. CONCLUSIONS: Home-laundered scrub clothing can be worn safely in labor and delivery units, including the operating rooms contained in those units. This practice can reduce costs without increasing surgical wound infection rates.

Clothing↗

PubMed1970

Potentially infectious agents associated with shearling bedpads. I. Effect of laundering with detergent-disinfectant combinations on polio and vaccinia viruses.

Glutaraldehyde-tanned woolskin pads which are used for the prevention of decubitus ulcers in bed patients were experimentally contaminated with polio or vaccinia viruses. Two methods of exposure, direct contact and aerosol, were used in separate experiments. Attempts were made to remove or inactivate these virus contaminants by laundering the woolskins in a quaternary ammonium disinfectant, a phenolic disinfectant, or alkalinized glutaraldehyde, in combination with an anionic detergent or a nonionic detergent. The effect of a commercial detergent-sanitizer was also studied. The virus titers were significantly reduced in all experiments, but only laundering in glutaraldehyde in combination with either detergent lowered the vaccinia virus titers to below detectable limits. High concentrations of glutaraldehyde altered the texture of the wool and leather apparently by precipitating a component of the detergent onto the fibers. In all the poliovirus experiments, the virus was still detectable on either or both the wool and the leather of the pads after laundering. The rinse water from each experiment was tested for the presence of virus. No vaccinia virus was recovered, but poliovirus was demonstrated in titers up to 10(3) cell culture 50% infectious doses.

Animals↗

PubMed1982

[A new method for the microbiological evaluation of disinfecting laundering procedures for textiles].

A new method is described to evaluate the efficacy of disinfecting laundering processes. Testpieces (contaminated cotton fabric patches) are enclosed between a pair of membrane-filter discs. Being immersed in the wash liquor this test system acts as a perfusion chamber permeable for detergent and disinfectant solution but retaining the testbacteria to the testpieces. Tests performed in a shaking water bath as well as practical laundering processes with detergents showed the following: from contaminated test pieces wrapped in cotton fabric - as commonly used in such experiments - test bacteria can hardly be recovered even after a non-bactericidal washing process. This is a result of mechanical wash-off. In contrary, with the new method reductions of viable counts are mainly due to bactericidal effects as physical removal of testbacteria is prevented by the filter membranes. Thus, disinfecting laundering procedures are readily distinguishable from merely cleaning ones. As additional advantage the filter-method prevents test pieces from being contaminated by other bacteria carried by the wash liquor.

Disinfection↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Is there a risk of cross-infection from laundered reusable bedpads?

The risk of cross-infection from reusable incontinence bedpads was assessed by determining their microbial content after one night's use by incontinent adults and after laundering using the standard foul wash procedure specified by the NHS Executive (NHS E, 1995) (which includes heat disinfection at 71 degrees C for 3 minutes). Measurements were made on a total of 145 bedpads from five different product designs. It was found that effective laundering destroyed all known pathogenic organisms, although some commensal flora were isolated in small numbers (mean 12.2 colony forming units/ml). It is concluded that laundering reusable incontinence pads using the foul wash procedure leaves pads safe for multiple patient reuse with no demonstrable risk of cross-infection.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Home laundering of soiled surgical scrubs: surgical site infections and the home environment.

An increasing number of hospitals have implemented programs that permit their operating room (OR) personnel to launder their soiled "scrubs" at home. Not only have they not experienced an increase in the incidence of surgical site infections (SSIs), but they have also found the policy to be financially rewarding. Whereas the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) opposes the practice, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes it as an unresolved issue. The variances in the positions taken by these two organizations obviously accounts for the differences in positions taken by the infection control community. In the absence of any evidence in the literature, the only alternative is to draw from knowledge and experience to determine whether the practice can be considered clinically effective and does not have a harmful effect on the home environment. On the basis of the results of that examination, it is concluded that the need for having soiled scrubs laundered by a facility-approved laundry is indefensible and simply predicated on the "that's the way we've always done it" syndrome.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗

PubMed2005

Efficacy of machine laundering to eradicate head lice: recommendations to decontaminate washable clothes, linens, and fomites.

The efficacy of machine laundering to eradicate head lice should be determined. Viable lice and nits were machine laundered using 3 washing programs (with water temperatures of 40 degrees C, 50 degrees C, and 60 degrees C), with and without detergent, and the results were compared with results for control lice and nits. A drying program was also used. Either washing done with a water temperature of at least 50 degrees C or drying is necessary to kill head lice and nits.

Animals↗

PubMed1981

A new double-layered launderable bed sheet for patients with urinary incontinence.

In a skilled nursing facility, 36 patients (chiefly elderly) with persistent urinary incontinence were the subjects of this study. In their management, the usual disposable pads were compared with a new launderable bed sheet (Kylie) which absorbs urine in the second layer while maintaining a dry surface next to the patient's skin. There was a 42 percent reduction in the frequency of bedding changes with the new bed sheets. The patients experienced increased comfort due to decreased skin wetness and decreased creasing of the sheets. The reduced frequency of bed linen changes permitted longer undisturbed periods for the patient. Management costs were reduced by 40 percent with the launderable bed sheets. There were no adverse effects on the condition of the patients or in the quality of care.

Adult↗

PubMed1980

Impact of detergent systems on bacterial survival on laundered fabrics.

The survival of Staphylococcus aureus was determined from inoculated swatches laundered in either a phosphate or a phosphate-substitute detergent. In a Plackett-Burman design study, the independent variables of detergent type, concentration, and variation, wash water temperature, soil load, cycle time, and water hardness were assigned high and low values. Wash water temperatures of 27, 38, 49, and 60 degrees C were employed. Viable bacteria were recovered from macerated swatches. Statistical analysis disclosed that there was no practical difference in the ability of phosphate or phosphate-substitute detergents to reduce the level of S. aureus on the laundered swatches in this controlled design. Analysis did reveal that water temperature was the most significant independent variables. The remaining variables did not appear to have any practical significance upon bacterial reduction. This bacteriological study did not evaluate other essential detergent properties.

Detergents↗

PubMed1971

Potentially infectious agents associated with shearling bedpads: effect of laundering with detergent-disinfectant combinations on Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Glutaraldehyde-tanned woolskins which are used as bedpads to prevent decubitus ulcers were contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 15442). Two methods of exposure, direct contact and aerosol, were used in separate experiments. Attempts were made to decrease the bacterial population placed on the woolskins by laundering them in a quaternary ammonium disinfectant, a phenolic disinfectant, or alkalinized glutaraldehyde, in combination with an anionic or nonionic detergent. The effect of a commercial detergent-sanitizer was also studied. Bacterial populations were significantly reduced in all experiments, but only laundering in glutaraldehyde in combination with either detergent resulted in maximum removal of bacteria. Viable bacteria were usually not detected in the rinse water (<1 viable organism/5 ml of rinse water).

Aldehydes↗