MOLECULAR
SIZE MATTERS
CHEMICAL
PROPERTIES
ANTIMICROBIAL PROPERTIES/
MODE OF ACTION
INACTIVATION OF SPORES VS.
BACTERIA
The difference between spore and bacterial inactivation is the same as the difference between sterilization and disinfection. For a chemical agent to be classified as a sterilant, it must be demonstrated to be effective at inactivating spores. Spores are among the hardest organisms to kill and for this reason sterilizing agents are considered the most rigorous decontaminating agents and offer complete kill of all antimicrobial life. Disinfection, on the other hand, does not require the complete inactivation of spores or all microbial life and is normally validated against a few vegetative bacteria species. For this reason, disinfecting agents are less rigorous decontaminating agents and are not as effective as sterilizing agents.
“Bacterial endospores are one of the most persistent forms of microbial life and typically require aggressive inactivation procedures. Vegetative bacteria are generally much more easily inactivated than are bacterial endospores. This is primarily because the sensitive areas of bacteria are easily contacted by chemosterilizing agents. The spore, however, has a more complex structure than the vegetative bacterial cell. Its sensitive material is contained within a core and that core is surrounded by a cortex and spore coats. These coats tend to act as a permeability barrier to the entry of chlorine dioxide and other compounds” (Knapp, 2000).
ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACT
Chlorine dioxide’s special properties make it an ideal choice to meet the challenges of today’s environmentally concerned world and is an environmentally preferred alternative to elemental chlorine. When chlorine reacts with organic matter, undesirable pollutants such as dioxins and bio-accumulative toxic substances are produced. Thus, the EPA supports the replacement of chlorine with chlorine dioxide because it eliminates the production of these pollutants. It is a perfect replacement for chlorine, providing all of chlorine’s benefits without any of its weaknesses and detriments. Most importantly, chlorine dioxide does not chlorinate organic material, eliminating the formation of trihalomethanes (THMs), haloacetic acids (HAAs) and other chlorinated organic compounds. This is particularly important in the primary use for chlorine dioxide, which is water disinfection. Other properties of chlorine dioxide make it more effective than chlorine, requiring a lower dose and resulting in a lower environmental impact.
