KR101269221B1 - Process for cleaning medical institution clothing using gamma ray radiation - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A washing method used in a medical institute is provided to be excellent in removing harmful bacteria and polluted materials using gamma-rays which do not have toxic materials, to sterilize clothes with the clothes packed and to reduce releasing polluted materials. CONSTITUTION: A washing method used in a medical institute comprises following steps. Washed clothes are packed. A gamma ray is projected to the packed clothes. The amount of the gamma ray is 10-15 rkGy for 12-15 hours. The radiation of the gamma ray is Co-60. The packing material is chosen from polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride and polycarbonate.

Description

How to wash laundry at medical institution using gamma rays {PROCESS FOR CLEANING MEDICAL INSTITUTION CLOTHING USING GAMMA RAY RADIATION}

The present invention relates to a laundry method for laundry in a medical institution using gamma rays. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for washing medical institution laundry using gamma rays that can sterilize harmful germs and contaminants of laundry discharged from a medical institution using gamma rays.

In general, medical institution laundry refers to laundry that can be reused through a laundry process as used by a medical institution worker and a patient to be treated in a specialized medical institution such as a hospital. Examples of the laundry include bedclothes such as duvets, blankets, sheets, pillows, and pillowcases, clothing such as patient clothes, newborn clothes, surgical clothes, and gowns, surgical cloths, machine cloths, masks, hats, towels, and diapers; Other laundry such as curtains, blankets and collector bags.

The laundry may also be divided into contaminated laundry and non-contaminated laundry, which may be contaminated with laundry used by an infectious patient and contaminated with infectious pathogens, blood, pus, excreta and secretions of a patient. It refers to laundry contaminated with feces or secretions from animals infected with infectious diseases during animal testing, and laundry contaminated with infectious pathogens.

In general, in the method of washing a medical institution, in case of contaminated laundry, the contaminated laundry is classified according to the degree of contamination, sterilizing and disinfecting for 10 to 20 minutes by adding a disinfectant and a cleaning agent to hot water, and the laundry is called for 10 to 20 minutes. Perform 1st pre-washing by rinsing at least 3 times, wash it for 10 ~ 20 minutes by adding disinfectant, and perform 2nd main washing by performing dehydration and rinsing 3 times or more, and add neutralizer and fabric softener After dehydration and rinsing two times or more, dry with forced hot air, iron the laundry, and deliver after sorting packaging.

In the case of non-contaminated laundry, sterilizer and surfactant are added to warm water for 10 to 20 minutes to sterilize, followed by dehydration and rinsing three times or more to carry out the first washing. Dewatering and rinsing three times or more to perform the second main washing, and neutralizing agent and fabric softener is added, dehydration and rinsing two or more times, then dried by forced hot air, ironed laundry, and packaged and delivered.

In order to sterilize and sterilize the laundry of a medical institution containing a large amount of pathogens and harmful bacteria, the disinfectant and cleaning agent used for washing the laundry contains a large amount of harmful components to the human body. As such, the use of synthetic detergents containing harmful components affects the health of the wearer and causes environmental pollution due to the large amount of wastewater discharged. In addition, highly resistant pathogens and super bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics are hardly sterilized by the above-described washing method, and medical workers and patients are exposed to secondary and tertiary infections of these pathogens and harmful bacteria. 100% sterile medical institution laundry is urgently needed. However, no institution oversees the laundry state of the medical institution laundry which is highly likely to be contaminated, contagious and infected, and does not even understand the state of the laundry.

Gamma rays, on the other hand, are electromagnetic waves with shorter wavelengths than x-rays and are a form of electromagnetic radiation with high energy generated by nuclear transition. The gamma rays have low ionization and photosensitization but have excellent permeability, and are known to transfer the energy of gamma rays to a specific part of the object to kill all microorganisms remaining in the object to a sterile level. have. In addition, gamma irradiation can destroy harmful microorganisms without raising the temperature of the equipment to be carried out, and it is advantageous in terms of reliability because there is no fear of secondary pollution or pollution caused by the remaining of poisonous substances in the laundry.

The present inventors use the above-mentioned gamma-ray irradiation in the washing process of contaminated and non-contaminated laundry, while largely reducing the emission of environmental pollutants compared to the conventional washing method, the laundry method for laundry of medical institutions with excellent removal effect of harmful bacteria and contaminants. Was completed.

An object of the present invention is to provide a laundry method for washing laundry in a medical institution using gamma rays which are excellent in removing harmful bacteria and contaminants and do not contain toxic substances.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a laundry method for washing a medical institution that can be sterilized while packing the laundry.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a laundry method for washing laundry in a medical institution using gamma rays that can significantly reduce environmental pollutant emissions.

One aspect of the present invention relates to a method for washing a laundry in a medical institution using gamma rays. The laundry method is to wash the laundry; And irradiating gamma rays to the packaged laundry surface at an irradiation dose of 10 to 15 kGy for 12 to 15 hours. The radiation source of the gamma ray is cobalt-60 (Co-60), the packaging is polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (Polyvinyl chloride, PVC), polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) And packaging the laundry using any one packaging material selected from polycarbonate (PC).

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Using the laundry method of medical institution laundry using gamma rays according to the present invention is excellent in removing the harmful bacteria and contaminants of the laundry, no toxic substances remain, can be sterilized while packing the laundry, environmental pollution Significantly reduced emissions can prevent environmental pollution.

In the following description of the present invention, when it is determined that detailed descriptions of related well-known technologies or configurations may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to be exemplary, self-explanatory, allowing for equivalent explanations of the present invention.

One aspect of the present invention relates to a method for washing a laundry in a medical institution using gamma rays. The laundry method is to wash the laundry; And irradiating gamma rays to the packaged laundry surface at an irradiation dose of 10 to 20 kGy.

In one embodiment, the method for washing a laundry in a medical institution using gamma rays includes (a) washing step; (b) a drying step; (c) packaging step; And (d) gamma irradiation step.

Hereinafter, a laundry method of laundry of a medical institution using gamma rays according to the present invention will be described in detail.

(a) washing step

The step is performed by adding a detergent to the laundry immersed in boiling water. In one embodiment, the laundry is soaked in boiling water for 10 to 20 minutes and then called, and washing may be performed for 10 to 20 minutes by adding detergent. Under the above conditions, contaminants of the laundry can be removed well.

The detergent may be used conventional. For example, Surfactant (Surface Active Agent, Surfactant), which acts on the interface between water and the surface of the object and causes dirt to fall off the surface, Phosphate, Sodium Carbonate, and Builders to enhance the activity of detergents. Synthetic detergents may be included, but are not limited thereto.

In an embodiment, the detergent may be added in an amount of 0.01 to 5 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the laundry immersed in the boiling water. In the above range, it may be excellent in removing impurities such as contaminants.

In addition, the present invention may further perform a rinsing and dehydration step of the washed laundry after the washing step. In an embodiment, the rinsing and dehydration may be performed repeatedly two or more times each. When performing the rinsing and dehydration step as described above can improve the workability of the present invention.

The rinsing step may rinse the laundry for 5 to 15 minutes to remove excess detergent and impurities remaining in the washing step. At this time, the fabric softener may be further added to the laundry. The fabric softener may be used conventional. For example, a fibrous softener including a nonionic surfactant as a quaternary ammonium salt as a cationic surfactant and a stabilizer can be used, but is not particularly limited thereto. In a specific embodiment, the fabric softener may be added in an amount of 0.01 to 2 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the laundry immersed in the boiling water. In the above range, the laundry fiber can be used to soften the touch and neutralize the negative ion fiber to prevent static electricity, to prevent color change of the laundry, and to help prevent residue of the detergent from remaining.

The dehydration step may remove moisture of the rinsed laundry for 5 to 10 minutes.

(b) drying step

The step is to dry the washed laundry. The drying may be carried out by drying in a conventional manner. For example, hot air drying may be used for 20 to 35 minutes using hot air at 40 to 55 ° C., but is not limited thereto.

In addition, the dried laundry may further comprise the step of ironing the dried laundry for ease of handling. When ironing can improve the smoothness and wrinkles of the laundry generated during the washing.

(c) packing step

The step is to wrap the washed laundry. In one embodiment the packaging is polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), polyethylene terphthalate (Polyethylene terphthalate, The laundry may be packaged by using a packing material of any one material selected from PET), polycarbonate (PC), and nylon. When using the packaging material selected from the above may be excellent in the sterilization effect of harmful bacteria while preventing damage to the laundry inside.

The laundry may be hermetically packed using a packing material of the material, but is not limited thereto. Packaging using the packaging material of the material can minimize damage to the laundry during gamma irradiation.

(d) gamma irradiation step

The step is irradiating gamma rays to the packaged laundry. In one embodiment, the packaged laundry may be irradiated with gamma rays at an irradiation dose of 10-20 kGy for 12-20 hours.

The gamma ray may be sufficiently sterilized by harmful germs, such as pathogens, which may be present in the laundry inside the sealed package because the permeability to the material is very strong. Electron beams tend to be slightly inside the surface and thus have higher absorbed doses, which may result in a difference in the rate of change of dose inside the product, but gamma rays have little difference in absorbed doses. In addition, there is no need to align the laundry, the packaging is independent, and there is no need to turn the laundry upside down to evenly inspect the laundry.

When the gamma rays are irradiated with a radiation dose of less than 10 kGy, some microorganisms may survive and may not exhibit a full sterilization effect. When irradiated with a radiation dose exceeding 20 kGy, the economic efficiency may be reduced by unnecessary irradiation. Can be degraded.

In one embodiment, the radiation source of the gamma ray may be one selected from cobalt-60 (Co-60) and cesium-137 (Se-137). When the laundry is irradiated with gamma rays using the radiation source, there is almost no temperature increase and the variation in the radiation dose is small, so that the laundry can be irradiated very uniformly to easily achieve the object of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to preferred embodiments of the present invention. However, the following examples are provided to aid understanding of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following examples. Details that are not described herein will be omitted since those skilled in the art can sufficiently infer technically.

Example 1

A set of patient suits exposed to E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus environments was prepared. The patient's clothing was immersed in boiling water for 10 minutes, and then 0.2 part by weight of a synthetic detergent was added to 100 parts by weight of the patient's clothing in the boiling water and washed for 10 minutes. Subsequently, 0.1 parts by weight of the fabric softener was added to 100 parts by weight of the patient's clothing in boiling water to rinse the patient's clothing for 15 minutes, followed by dehydration for 10 minutes, three times each. The dehydrated patient clothing was dried for 25 minutes using a hot air at 50 ° C., and then the dried patient clothing was ironed and sealedly packed with a polyethylene packaging material.

The sealed packaged patient clothing was placed in a standard box (pellet: 58 cm wide, 36 cm high, 43 cm high), and the gamma ray was irradiated using the gamma ray irradiation facility of Greenpia Technology Co., Ltd. Cobalt-60 was used as the radiation source of gamma rays, and the packaged patient suit was irradiated for 15 hours at a radiation dose of 15 kGy.

Comparative example  One

A patient suit prepared in the same environment as in Example 1 was prepared, the patient suit was immersed in boiling water for 10 minutes, and then 0.2 parts by weight of a synthetic detergent and 0.2 weight of a disinfectant were added to 100 parts by weight of the patient clothes in the boiling water. Part was put and washed for 10 minutes. Subsequently, 0.1 parts by weight of the fabric softener was added to 100 parts by weight of the patient's clothing in boiling water to rinse the patient's clothing for 15 minutes, followed by dehydration for 10 minutes, three times each. The dehydrated patient suit was dried for 25 minutes using hot air at 50 ° C., and then the dried patient suit was cleaned by ironing.

Comparative example  2

The patient garments prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 were washed, dried and ironed, and then packaged and sealed. Then, gamma rays were irradiated on the surface of the patient garments sealed using a gamma ray irradiating facility of Greenpia Technology. The gamma radiation source was irradiated to the packaged patient's clothing for 15 hours using a cobalt-60 radiation dose of 0.5 kGy.

Comparative example  3

The patient clothing prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 was washed, dried and ironed, and gamma rays were irradiated on the surface of the patient garment using a gamma ray irradiation facility of Greenpia Technology. The gamma radiation source was irradiated to the packaged patient's clothing for 15 hours using a cobalt-60 radiation dose of 0.5 kGy.

Experimental Example  One

The total bacterial count of the microorganisms of the patient suit of Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2 was measured. Take a sample of 10 cm wide and 10 cm long samples of each part of the patient's clothing washed in Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2, and put it into a sterile beaker and weighed 10 times after adding sterile physiological saline for 30 minutes, the total The number of bacteria was measured and listed in Table 1 below.

Evaluation item (CFU / 100㎠) Example 1 Comparative Example 1 Comparative Example 2 Comparative Example 3 Total number of bacteria ND 2.3 x 10 ³ 2.2 x 10 1.4 x 10

(ND: sample with no microbial activity detected)

Referring to Table 1, it can be seen that all the microorganisms are completely killed in the patient clothing irradiated with gamma rays according to Example 1. The irradiation dose according to the scope of the present invention was shown to have a great effect of killing harmful bacteria during gamma irradiation. On the other hand, the patient's clothing irradiated with gamma rays directly without sealing packaging according to Comparative Example 3 was damaged, such as part of the surface deteriorated.

Claims (3)

Packing the laundered laundry; And
Irradiating gamma rays to the packaged laundry surface at an irradiation dose of 10 to 15 kGy for 12 to 15 hours; ≪ / RTI >
The radiation source of gamma rays is cobalt-60 (Co-60),
The package may be manufactured using any one of packaging materials selected from polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), and polycarbonate (PC). Method of laundry for medical institution laundry using a gamma ray characterized in that the packaging.
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