• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.481-494
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• 2020

Objectives: No study has been conducted to review characteristics of humidifier disinfectants (HD) products, such as real numbers, levels and types of HD substances contained, or the volume marketed. We aimed to review the characteristics of HD through a literature review. Methods: We collected literature reporting the names, numbers, and ingredients of HD and discussed them with a focus on the number of HD products and the chemicals used as a disinfectant. Results: A total of eight publications has reported the names of HD brands or types of disinfectants from 2011 to 2020. To date, a total of 40 HD products have been used, excluding four products. Eight HD products used polyhexamethylene guanidine phosphate (PHMG) and 14 used a mixture of chloromethylisothiazolinone (CMIT) and methylisothiazolinone (MIT) as disinfectants. Benzalkonium chloride (BKC) and sodium dichloroisocyanurate (NaDCC) were also used as a disinfectant in several HD products. A total of 19 HD products were associated with the development of HD associated lung injury (HDLI). The Oxy Saksak HD product containing PHMG showed the highest number of HD associated health effects. The type of disinfectant from a total of 14 HD products has not been identified. Conclusions: A total of 40 HD products have been marketed in South Korea since 1994. Further studies should be conducted to identify the association of product characteristics, including type of HD ingredients, with health effects.

• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.65-69
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• 2003

The effects of grapefruit seed extract and $H_2O_2$ disinfectants on Pseudomonas aeruginosa were investigated by antimicrobial assay and scanning electron microscopy. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram negative bacteria and a common causative microorganism of bacterial keratitis. After incubation of soft contact lens in Pseudomonas aeruginosa suspension for 120 minutes containing the disinfectants, the grapefruit seed extract showed antimicrobial activity as good as the chemical disinfectant. The living rates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in grapefruit seed extract and $H_2O_2$ disinfectants were $1{\times10^3CFU/m{\ell}$ and $0.5{\times}10^3CFU/m{\ell}$, respectively showing no major difference in the killing activity. However, the mechanisms of the antimicrobial activity were quite different as indicated by scanning electron microscopy of the bacterial surface morphology. Considering chemically or other toxins induced keratitis, the natural disinfectant isolated from grapefruit seed extract shows promising results as a soft contact lens disinfectant.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.47-57
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• 1987

Owing to the modification of testing methods of disinfectants or antiseptics, variations of bacteria according to characteristics of regions and resistance changes of bacteria, it is necessary that the bactericidal activities of disinfectants or antiscptics should be reevaluated nowadays. This study was carried out to reevaluate in the vitro bactericidal activity of Chlorhexidine gluconate solution. The results of experiment were summarized as follows. 1. For Chlorhexidine gluconate solution, minimal inhibitory concentrations of total bacteria taken from sewage water and Legionella bozemanii were $2.0\times 10^{-3}$%, $1.0\times 10^{-2}$%, respectively and were comparatively high. Minimal inhibitory concentration of Shigella flexneri was $1.6\times 10^{-4}$%, and was comparatively low. 2. For total bacteria taken from sewage water, it was killed within 15 minute in 0.1% Chlorhexidine gluconate solution when number of cells was $1.6\times 10^7$/ml. 3. For 0.0125% Chlorhexidine gluconate solution, decimal reduction times of Ps. aeruginosa, S. typhi, E. Coli were 45 sec, 25 sec, 18 sec repectively. For 1%, 0.125% Chlorhexidine gluconate solution, decimal reduction times of Legionella bozemanii were 10 sec, 45 sec respectively. 4. There was significant difference in the bactericidal activity of Chlorhexidine gluconate solution according to temperattire. Phenol coefficient of Chlorhexidine gluconate solution as using Staph. aureus was 100 and comparatively higher than that of other disinfectants. In comparison with other disinfectants, Legionella bozemanii was killed within 5 minutes in 0.02% KMnO$_4$ and 0.125% Chlorhexidine giuconate solution but was not killed within 3 minutes in 1% 0-cresol, 1% Phenol.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.537-540
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• 2009

Bactericidal efficacies of various sanitizers and disinfectants against 10 Bacillus cereus strains isolated from Korean foods and 8 standard B. cereus strains were investigated. The sanitizing capabilities of ethanol, iodine, chloride, quaternary ammonium, hydrogen peroxide, and peroxide acetic acid were investigated using the EN 1276 method based on quantitative suspension testing. The resistance against sanitizers and disinfectants was higher for wild-type than standard strains, and the bactericidal activities decreased in dirty conditions. Ethanol, chlorine, and iodine at the maximum level allowed under Korean food sanitation laws showed a great effectiveness against B. cereus. Hydrogen peroxide at 1,100 ppm showed the lowest bactericidal activity against B. cereus. These results indicate that the legally allowed maximum concentrations of sanitizers and disinfectants in Korea do not reduce all B. cereus strains by at least $5\;{\log}_{10}\;CFU/mL$.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.506-515
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• 1999

Dental practice can produce and spread some infectious diseases from patients to dentist, dental assistant, and dental labors. One possible method for preventing these cross-contamination is to immerse dental impression in chemical disinfectants. So for many investigators studied on the dimensional changes of dental impressions and on the surface qualities of stone casts made from impression following immersion in disinfectants. This study was proposed to evaluate some popular impression disinfectant combination from the point of dimensional stability. Impression was taken from dental arch-shaped metal model. Irreversible hydrocolloid and 3 elastomers(polyvinyl siloxane, polysulfide, polyether) were immersed in 3 disinfectants (2% glutaraldehyde, 1% povidone-iodine, 0.5% sodium hypochlorite) for 10 minutes and measured both cross-arch and anterior-posterior distance under stereo microscope to evaluate dimensional change. The results obtained were as follows: 1. Dimensional changes of irreversible hydrocolloid impression was statistically different in cross-arch and anterior-posterior distance when immersed in 2% glutaraldehyde solution and in anterior-posterior distance when immersed in 0.5% sodium hypochlorite solution from control group (p<0.05). 2. Dimensional changes of polyvinyl siloxane and polysulfide impression were not statistically different from control group (p>0.05). 3. Dimensional changes of polyether impression was statistically different in cross-arch distance when immersed in 0.5% sodium hypochlorite solution and in anterior-posterior distance when immersed in 1% povidone-iodine solution from control group (p<0.05). 4. In all cases, dimensional changes were less than 0.1% from the original dimension and concluded clinically acceptable.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.349-359
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• 2017

The objective of this study is to review the safety and health information displayed on containers of humidifier disinfectants (HD). We summarized not only general characteristics related to the marketing and manufacturing of HD, such as the duration sold and the name of the company, but also the safety and health information, such as identification of disinfectants, recommended use volume, and precautions. All of this information was reviewed by HD brand. We collected safety and health information from 31 HD brands. We found that companies that sold and manufactured HD brands differ. Two companies were found to sell their HD without permission after 2011 when the health effects caused by HD were widely known. The name of the disinfectants were not identified on the container of HD. The recommended volumes were found not to be based on toxicological evidence and set without consideration of the level of susceptibility of users. Most companies displayed phrases such "this HD is safe for humans, even children" on the front of the container. No inhalation and skin toxicity precautions were provided. In conclusion, most HD did not properly display information related to safety and health to protect the health of HD users. There has been no official investigation to evaluate the risks posed by HD, such as the sales volume by HD, identification of chemical disinfectants, or their concentration, nor have there been actions to control the chemical quality of HD. In addition, government actions to punish the malicious practices of companies that manufactured and sold HD were found to inappropriate.

• Journal of agriculture & life science
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.65-72
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• 2012

Salmonellosis is a widespread bacterial zoonosis that commonly causes enterocolitis and foodborne poisoning leading to an extensive economic loss in domestic animal industry. Considerably, the emergence of multidrug resistant strains of Salmonella spp. induces further severe problems affecting public health. The present report was designated to investigate the antibacterial efficacies of three common disinfectants including an oxidizing compound disinfectant (OXC), a triple salt (TS) and a quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) against Salmonella typhimurium subjected to the preliminary changes of drug temperature. All solutions of three disinfectants were pre-incubated at different temperature (22, 37 and $63^{\circ}C$) for 1 h prior to exposure to bacteria. The disinfectants and bacteria were diluted with distilled water (DW), hard water (HW) or organic matter suspension (OMS) according to treatment condition. Under the DW condition, the disinfectant efficacy of the QAC at $63^{\circ}C$ was higher than that of $22^{\circ}C$. Furthermore, under HW diluent the disinfectant efficacy of the TS pre-warmed at both of 37 and $63^{\circ}C$ were increased compared to that of $22^{\circ}C$. Considerably, the efficacy of pre-warmed QAC at both of 37 and $63^{\circ}C$ under the OMS diluent were higher than that of $22^{\circ}C$. Conclusively, prewarming at higher temperatures have positive effects on the stability of the antibacterial efficacies of TS and QAC.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.271-277
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• 2020

Toxicities to many organs caused by humidifier disinfectants have been reported. Recently, humidifier disinfectants have been reported to cause cardiovascular, embryonic, and hepatic toxicities. This study was designed to investigate the toxic mechanism of humidifier disinfectants and compare toxicity in a cellular model and a zebrafish animal model. Because brain toxicity and skin toxicity have been less studied than other organs, we evaluated toxicity in a human dermal cell line and zebrafish under various concentrations of humidifier disinfectants that included polyhexamethyleneguanidine phosphate (PHMG), oligo-[2-(2-ethoxy)-ethoxyethyl-guanidinium-chloride] (PGH) and methylchloroisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone (CMIT/MIT). A human dermal fibroblast cell line was treated with disinfectants (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 16 mg L^-1) to compare their cytotoxicity. The fewest PHMG-treated cells survived (up to 33%), while 49% and 40% of the PGH- and CMIT/MIT-treated cells, respectively, survived. The quantification of oxidized species in the media revealed that the PHMG-treated cells had the highest MDA content of around 28 nM, while the PGH- and CMIT/MIT-treated cells had 13 and 21 nM MDA, respectively. As for brain toxicity, treatment of the zebrafish tank water with CMIT/MIT (final 40 mg L^-1) for 30 min resulted in a 17-fold higher production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) than in the control. Treatment with PGH or PHMG (final 40 mg L^-1) resulted in 15- and 11-fold higher production, respectively. The humidifier disinfectants (PHMG, PGH, and CMIT/MIT) showed severe dermal cell toxicity and brain toxicity. These toxicities may be relevant factors in understanding why some children have language disorders, motor delays, and developmental delays from exposure to humidifier disinfectants.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.129-134
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• 2005

The cytotoxicity that chemical disinfectants of K products and natural disinfectants of naringin & chitosan well-known preservative, have on endothelium and epithelium of rabbit's cornea were obseved by scanning electron microscope. The main component of naringin is grapefruit seed extract, which is one of the flavonoid widely recognized as natural antioxidants and used as preserved food and cosmetics. The chitosan also wildly distributed epithelium of crustacea, epidermis of insects, mould, fungi and so on. It is no harm of cytotoxicity of human body and recognized of antibacterial for various of bacteria. This study was performed to examine the cytotoxicity of natural and chemical preservative.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.208-216
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• 2006

Purpose: This study was done to identify the differences in effectiveness of disinfections for surgical hand scrubbing according to the duration of scrubbing and the type of disinfectant. Method: From June 30 to August 14, 2003, the data were collected from 30 surgical nurses and surgeons in one general hospital in P city, Korea. All participants washed their hands with two different disinfectants and four different scrubbing times, they placed both finger tips on a blood agar plate and using sterile cotton tips microbes were collected from their palms, nails and forearms. Results: The first hypothesis of this study(with same disinfectant, there will be no difference in effect of disinfection in surgical hand scrub among four time groups) was supported. The second hypothesis of this study(with same duration of surgical hand scrub, there will be no difference in effect between two disinfectants) was also supported. Conclusion: There are no differences in effectiveness of disinfection for surgical hand scrubbing according to duration of the scrubbing and the type of disinfectant. So it is concluded that the effectiveness of disinfection depends more on the exactly how the scrubbing is done rather than the duration of scrubbing or the type of disinfectant.