CM/Spotlight: infection control case study Advanced Vapor Technologies LLC Steam: Not Just A Fine Mist Study confirms TANKS ® steam vapor technology faster and more effective against biofilms than conventional disinfectants. S Seattle-based Advanced Vapor Technologies (AVT) provides state-of-the-art steam vapor systems that enable deep cleaning and disinfection, reducing the dependence on potentially harmful or corrosive chemicals. With scientifically proven thermal accelerated nano crystal sanitation (TANCS) technology carrying an estab-lishment number from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), AVT’s TANCS steam vapor units have been tested and proven to disinfect sur-faces in less time and with greater safety and efficacy than typical EPA-registered chemical disinfectants. A recent University of Michigan study has demonstrated that the Advanced Vapor Technologies’ MondoVap 2400 steam vapor device equipped with a TANCS water treatment module, rapidly and effectively destroys microbial biofilms — those sticky, often invisible films formed by bacteria and other germs that colonize surfaces and protect them-selves from attack by disinfectants and other antimicrobial agents. Chuanwu Xi, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Health at the University of Michigan, and his research team found that treated steam from a novel steam disinfection system utilizing TANCS technology rap-idly kills highly resistant biofilms with greater than 99.95 percent killing effi-ciency in a three-second treatment, and to a non-detectable level in a less than 10 second treatment. “Scientific studies have found that biofilms can be up to 1,000 times more resistant to biocide inactivation than are suspended microbes,” said Dr. Xi. Image courtesy of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “It is extremely difficult to get rid of biofilms and kill them. The efficacy of the steam vapor system is important because even strong chemical disinfec-tants such as bleach when allowed 20 minutes of dwell time did not achieve the same degree of kill that the TANCS-equipped unit accomplished in three sec-onds,” Dr. Xi added. The MondoVap with TANCS technolo-gy uses only tap water to generate steam for cleaning and killing biofilms without leaving chemical residue. The low-moisture six percent steam leaves surfaces dry, and those areas can be returned to service almost immediate-ly while reducing slip and fall hazards. “This device is one of the very promis-ing technologies that combine both rapid physical dispersal and disinfection func-tions. The dry steam generated can eas-ily break the barrier of biofilm structures and kill cells inside the biofilms. It also does so without polluting the environ-ment or risk of creating antibiotic-resist-ant bacteria. The technology should have a wide application in a variety of facili-ties,” Xi concluded. CM This research summary is for information pur-poses only. The University of Michigan and its researchers do not endorse products. Circle Product Information no. 152 This content was provided by Advanced Vapor Technologies LLC as part of a paid advertisement. For more information, please contact Advanced Vapor directly at 1-800-997-6584 or www.advap.com. www.cmmonline.com 27
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