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Table 2 Active ingredients, chemical formulas, pros and cons of disinfectant-impregnated wipes applications

From: Efficacy of disinfectant-impregnated wipes used for surface disinfection in hospitals: a review

Disinfectant category

Example of active ingredients

Chemical formula

Advantages

Shortcomings

Ref.

Alcohol

Ethyl alcohol (Ethanol)

C2H6O

Rapid bactericidal effect. No bacteriostatic action. Relatively cheap and easy to obtain. Wet the surface easily.

Tend to swell and harden rubber and certain plastics. Not sporicidal. Inflammable. Poor inactivation effectiveness was reported for some virus. Lack of efficacy in the presence of organic debris. Metal corrosive. Difficult in ensuring certain contact time in an open system.

[38,39,40,41,42]

Isopropyl alcohol (Isopropanol)

C3H8O

Chlorine and chlorine compounds

Hypochlorites

ClO

Most used chlorine disinfectants. Large bactericidal spectrum. No toxic residues. Not affected by water hardness. Inexpensive and fast mode of action.

Corrosive to metals (> 500 ppm). Inactivated by organic matter. Irritating and burning for skin, eyes and mucous membranes. Discolour and bleach textiles. Toxic chlorine gas formation in contact with ammonia or acid.

[25, 43,44,45]

Chlorine dioxide

ClO2

Wide spectrum of biocidal activity. Efficient mycobactericidal activity in short contacts time. It provides prolonged bactericidal effect than chlorine due to its high retain of antimicrobial active ingredients.

Long-term use can damage the outer plastic coat of some insertion tubes.

Chloramine-t trihydrate

C7H7ClNNaO2S

Chlorine retains longer which results in more prolonged bactericidal effect

Occupational asthma has been reported.

Peroxygens

Hydrogen peroxide

H2O2

Satisfying germicidal activity including bacterial spores (with longer contact time). Environment friendly due to its fast degradation. Accelerated hydrogen peroxide (AHP) was developed with widened material compatibility and application variability.

May have chemical irritation resembling pseudomembranous colitis

[51]

Peracetic acid (PAA)

C2H4O3

Rapid action against all microorganisms at low concentration. Reinforced removal of organic material without residue. Effective in the presence of organic matter. Sporicidal at low temperatures

Corrosive to copper, brass, bronze, plain steel, and galvanized iron. (corrosion decline by additives and pH modifications) Unstable, particularly when diluted.

Quaternary ammonium compounds (quats or QACs)

Alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride

C22H40N+

The most commonly used disinfectant in ordinary environmental surfaces with broad spectra of biocidal activity (lipid, enveloped viruses). Sporostatic. Good cleaning and deodorization property. Incorporation of QA moieties into polymers presents effective antimicrobial effect against biofilm.

Numerous studies show the adsorption of QACs onto the cotton substrate wiping material, which could lead to the failure of disinfection process. Susceptible with high water hardness. Less effective with gram-negative bacteria and non-enveloped viruses.

[47, 52,53,54,55,56,57,58]

Benzyl dimethyl octyl ammonium Chloride

C17H30ClN

didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride

C22H48ClN