Chlorine Dioxide Gas Decontamination of a 65,000 Cubic Foot Surgical Barrier Facility

INTRODUCTION Surgical barrier facilities are by necessity highly controlled to maintain sterility. Any breach of containment can introduce contaminants which could potentially find their way into the animals being operated on. As such, personnel undergo stringent gowning and entry procedures, quarantines if they visit other animal facilities and various other operating procedures to minimise the possibility of bringing in contamination. Similarly, the facility is controlled through a number of mechanical and procedural means to limit potential contamination. Regardless of the quantity and quality of the levels of precaution employed by a facility, it is impossible to fully eliminate the risk of contamination as witnessed by a commercial breeder’s surgical barrier facility. A pipe burst overnight, causing damage to a facility and flooding a majority of it with water. There was much concern over the sterility of the facility as there was a possibility of moulds and other organisms originating from the standing water. Repairs to the plumbing and to the facility itself would need to be performed, further exposing the barrier to possible sources of contamination as the required construction crew would not be entering or working under normal gowning and personal protective equipment (PPE). To bring the facility back to a sterile state, decontamination using chlorine dioxide gas was performed after all repairs had occurred. Biological indicators and swab samples confirmed that the decontamination was successful and the barrier facility was reopened in a sterile state.