Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is found in many solvents used in medical settings. The alcohol is also used in a highly concentrated water/alcohol mixture (e.g., 99% IPA) to perform certain medical cleaning operations. Do aqueous formulations of IPA belong among your organization’s medical instrument solvents?
That’s what we look at in this entry, listing major pros and cons of using IPA solutions in place of traditional medical instrument solvents, according to information from the CDC presented on Reference.com.
Pro: Readily Kills Fungi and Viruses
The CDC notes that IPA is “useful as a surface disinfectant,… [killing] most bacteria, fungi and viruses”. Ultimately, this means IPA can be an effective solution for cleaning instruments that don’t come into contact with patients (e.g., tweezers used to grasp and dispose of biohazard material in a controlled lab setting) but should not be used to clean instruments found in the medical treatment environment.
Con: Doesn’t Kill Bacterial Spores
Medical instrument solvents containing high percentages of IPA excel at killing bacteria, fungi, and viruses, but they don’t eradicate bacterial spores.
According to the CDC, “The FDA has not approved any products using alcohol as the main active ingredient as a high-level disinfectant for health care settings. While alcohols kill most bacteria, fungi and viruses, they are incapable of killing bacterial spores. Use of alcohol-cleaned surgical instruments contaminated with such spores [can spread] deadly infections.”
Pro: Highly Economical Solution
Because IPA is miscible in water at all concentrations, it provides economies of scale that allow hospitals and health clinics to achieve cost savings by using IPA in precise concentrations. In comparison, butyl alcohol (a.k.a. n-butanol) has a maximum concentration of roughly 10% when combined with water. Along with its low price, IPA’s miscibility with water makes it one of the most cost effective industrial cleaners to use on a regular basis.
Con: Can Harm Certain Materials
IPA is a skin irritant and a powerful solution for banishing oil residues, but it generally isn’t considered a “harsh” cleaning solution. Even so, IPA can damage certain types of materials.
According to the CDC, “The use of alcohol for disinfection causes harm to some equipment. The solvent dissolves shellac mountings and causes rubber and plastics to harden and swell, especially with repeated use… In some uses, it softens and deteriorates glue.”
Whether to include IPA among your medical instrument solvents depends partly on the composition of the instruments you would use it to clean.
Need Medical Instrument Solvents?
If so, whether to include high-purity IPA in your lineup of medical instrument cleaners depends on what types of instruments you would clean with the solution. In many cases, IPA proves to be an excellent cleaner for removing soils from electronic medical equipment and an insufficient cleaner for medical instruments used in patient procedures.
For help determining whether IPA formulations and/or non-IPA medical instrument solvents are a good fit for your instrument cleaning needs, call us today at 800-563-1305, or send us an email through our contact form. We look forward to helping you support good health outcomes!
Medical Industry Cleaners for Critical Degreasing: FAQ
/in Ecolink News/by Industrial DegreasersMedical industry cleaners comprise a category of cleaning solvents that are used to clean medical equipment of various sorts. Degreaser is one type of solvent that falls within the category. If this is your first time shopping for degreaser for critical cleaning of medical equipment, you may have some questions regarding critical degreasers. The answers below can help.
What is the official definition for critical parts degreasing?
Critical parts degreasing is the process of using a degreaser to remove “sub-micrometre particles and non-volatile residue measured in Angstroms” (Wikipedia). The process is typically performed in a clean room environment. The maximum allowed soil for critical cleaning is ? 5 mg / m² (1). “Critical cleaning” is the highest level of cleaning for any type of equipment.
How do standard degreasers and critical degreasers differ?
Most standard degreasers are formulated to perform “intermediate cleaning” and “final cleaning”. As mentioned above, these types of cleaning provide a lower level of soil removal than “precision cleaning” and “critical cleaning.” If you need to perform critical degreasing on medical equipment, a standard degreaser will not suffice. Using a degreaser made for critical cleaning is the only option.
Is it necessary to use precision degreasers in a parts washer?
No. However, using a parts washing system is an easy way to ensure that parts are cleaned according to the definition of critical cleaning. Parts that have simple geometrical designs are easier to clean outside of a washing system than parts that have complex geometrical designs. It’s optimal to clean the latter type of parts using an industrial grade parts washer.
What if I can’t find a degreaser for parts with multiple materials?
This is common problem organizations un into when they first start shopping for a critical degreaser. Metal, rubber, and plastic — and different grades of these materials — are commonly found in a single part. If you can’t find stock medical industry cleaners that meet your needs, working with Ecolink to develop a custom precision cleaning solution is the best option.
How do I know whether a precision degreaser is eco friendly?
Eco friendly medical industry chemicals fall within two basic categories: solvents that are “environmentally safe” and solvents that are “environmentally prefered”. These classifications apply to degreasers containing no ingredients the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) bans, regulates, as well as no ingredients that the EPA is slated to ban or regulate in the future.
Need Medical Industry Chemicals for Critical Degreasing?
If so, Ecolink is a great place to find them. We offer several types of stock degreasing solutions, and we routinely formulate custom degreasers that match customers’ unique requirements. Medical equipment needs the level of degreasing that only critical cleaning can offer. We can provide a degreaser that performs according to the strict requirements for this level of cleaning.
To get started on evaluating your options for medical industry chemicals for degreasing, please call us today at 800-563-1305, or send us an email through our contact form. We look forward to presenting you with dynamic, industrial grade degreasing solutions for a great price!
Medical Instrument Solvents: The Pros and Cons of IPA
/in Medical/by Industrial DegreasersIsopropyl alcohol (IPA) is found in many solvents used in medical settings. The alcohol is also used in a highly concentrated water/alcohol mixture (e.g., 99% IPA) to perform certain medical cleaning operations. Do aqueous formulations of IPA belong among your organization’s medical instrument solvents?
That’s what we look at in this entry, listing major pros and cons of using IPA solutions in place of traditional medical instrument solvents, according to information from the CDC presented on Reference.com.
Pro: Readily Kills Fungi and Viruses
The CDC notes that IPA is “useful as a surface disinfectant,… [killing] most bacteria, fungi and viruses”. Ultimately, this means IPA can be an effective solution for cleaning instruments that don’t come into contact with patients (e.g., tweezers used to grasp and dispose of biohazard material in a controlled lab setting) but should not be used to clean instruments found in the medical treatment environment.
Con: Doesn’t Kill Bacterial Spores
Medical instrument solvents containing high percentages of IPA excel at killing bacteria, fungi, and viruses, but they don’t eradicate bacterial spores.
According to the CDC, “The FDA has not approved any products using alcohol as the main active ingredient as a high-level disinfectant for health care settings. While alcohols kill most bacteria, fungi and viruses, they are incapable of killing bacterial spores. Use of alcohol-cleaned surgical instruments contaminated with such spores [can spread] deadly infections.”
Pro: Highly Economical Solution
Because IPA is miscible in water at all concentrations, it provides economies of scale that allow hospitals and health clinics to achieve cost savings by using IPA in precise concentrations. In comparison, butyl alcohol (a.k.a. n-butanol) has a maximum concentration of roughly 10% when combined with water. Along with its low price, IPA’s miscibility with water makes it one of the most cost effective industrial cleaners to use on a regular basis.
Con: Can Harm Certain Materials
IPA is a skin irritant and a powerful solution for banishing oil residues, but it generally isn’t considered a “harsh” cleaning solution. Even so, IPA can damage certain types of materials.
According to the CDC, “The use of alcohol for disinfection causes harm to some equipment. The solvent dissolves shellac mountings and causes rubber and plastics to harden and swell, especially with repeated use… In some uses, it softens and deteriorates glue.”
Whether to include IPA among your medical instrument solvents depends partly on the composition of the instruments you would use it to clean.
Need Medical Instrument Solvents?
If so, whether to include high-purity IPA in your lineup of medical instrument cleaners depends on what types of instruments you would clean with the solution. In many cases, IPA proves to be an excellent cleaner for removing soils from electronic medical equipment and an insufficient cleaner for medical instruments used in patient procedures.
For help determining whether IPA formulations and/or non-IPA medical instrument solvents are a good fit for your instrument cleaning needs, call us today at 800-563-1305, or send us an email through our contact form. We look forward to helping you support good health outcomes!
Why Make Ecolink Your IPA Chemical Supplier?
/in Ecolink News/by Industrial DegreasersIsopropyl alcohol (IPA) is one of the most used chemical compounds for industrial cleaning. In addition to being used in its original form, the compound serves as an efficacious ingredient in various solvents that feature blends of multiple chemicals.
Due to its plentitude and broad range of application, industrial-grade IPA is available from hundreds of solvent suppliers in the U.S. alone. With so many options on the table, why should you make Ecolink your trusted IPA chemical supplier? There are five good reasons.
1. Solvents With No EPA Regulated Ingredients
Implementing a solvent with EPA regulated ingredients generally means you can’t use a large volume of the solvent regularly. It’s also important to note that using a solvent with ingredients that are scheduled for regulation by the EPA will eventually lead to the same situation. We provide environmentally-prefered solvents that contain no EPA regulated ingredients.
2. Container Seals That Prevent Vapor Emission
Industrial grade IPA is usually 99% pure isopropyl alcohol. However, when the compound is placed inside a storage container, its purity — and thus its efficacy — can diminish due to vapor loss caused by the vapor density of the compound. Our industrial grade IPA arrives in containers designed to prevent IPA from evaporating during shipping and storage.
3. Option of Custom Solutions for Unique Needs
If you need a blended solvent that contains IPA, and you can’t find a stock solvent that’s exactly the right fit, creating a custom IPA solvent is the solution. We can custom blend an IPA cleaner that meets your precise cleaning requirements, and supply the solution in the volume you need, on the schedule you require.
4. Free Test Sample Prior to Purchasing Solvent
The best way to assess how a solvent performs is to try before you buy. This is why we offer free samples of any solution you’re interested in using. The IPA solvent you plan to order may look perfect on paper, but why not try it out and see if it performs perfectly based on your requirements? To order a free sample, visit the Request Sample page on our website.
5. Order Various Amounts on Various Schedules
Industrial IPA users frequently need IPA in large volumes, but not always. This is why we offer containers that have different supply volumes. We also offer scheduled shipments and shipments on an as-needed basis, giving you the flexibility to order the amount of solvent you need, when you need it.
Contact Us Today
Choosing an IPA chemical supplier should be an educated decision. When you consider everything you could need from an IPA chemical supplier now and in the future, we feel confident that Ecolink will be your strongest supply options for IPA and IPA-based solvents.
To place an order, or to learn more about the benefits of making us your IPA chemical supplier, call us today at 800-563-1305, or send us an email through our contact form. We look forward to helping you tackle your toughest IPA cleaning needs!
IPA Chemicals: Isopropyl Alcohol as a Solvent Ingredient
/in IPA/by Industrial DegreasersIsopropyl alcohol (IPA) is one of the most widely used industrial chemical compounds in the world. Common applications include: cleaning electronic components (e.g., contact pins) cleaning magnetic tape and disk heads, cleaning laser lenses in optical disc drives (e.g., CD and DVD), removing thermal paste IC packages (e.g., CPUs), and dissolving various types of accumulations, including oils, gums, alkaloids, and natural resins.
Using IPA to Create IPA Chemicals
High-purity IPA is often used as cleaning solvent by itself, but it can also be used to create other solvents and potential solvent ingredients. As a solvent ingredient, the alcohol is commonly used to produce the following IPA chemicals, among others:
As a chemical base for solvents, IPA is highly prefered for any application for which using aqueous solvents would be counterintuitive. Often, the primary value of IPA for these applications is its fast evaporation rate compared to the evaporation rate of water, and the fact that isopropyl alcohol leaves no residue on any type of material.
These qualities are major reasons why IPA and IPA chemicals are used to clean complex electronics. IPA’s fast evaporation rate helps prevent metal and other materials from corroding and failing prematurely. IPA’s lack of residue helps prevent cleaned materials from attracting soils that readily attach to residues, and require cleaning to be performed more frequently than if non-residue solvent were used.
Choosing an IPA Chemicals Supplier
Some organizations order industrial strength IPA (99% purity) and create their own IPA chemicals that have unique properties — a process that essentially amounts to solvent customization — while other users order custom IPA chemicals straight from the manufacturer. If you need custom chemicals, and you don’t have the time or infrastructure to produce them in-house, Ecolink can formulate the customized solutions you need on short order.
We also offer a wide selection of solvents that use IPA as an active ingredient and display great efficacy for cleaning materials from which IPA excels at removing soils. Step one is determining whether a viable stock solution exists, as stock solutions are ready for shipment and tend to cost a bit less than custom solvents. If stock solvents aren’t an option, you need a custom solution.
Need IPA or IPA-Derived Chemicals?
If so, Ecolink is a great place to find what you need. We offer both industrial strength IPA and chemicals derived from high-purity IPA, with the latter available in unique custom blends. If you need a custom product, we’ll create one whose ingredients aren’t regulated or scheduled for regulation by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and supply it in the volume you need, when you need it.
To get started on ordering high-purity IPA and/or IPA chemicals, call us today at 800-563-1305, or send us an email using the contact form on our website. We look forward to helping you achieve a great first pass yield (FPY) rate for all of your IPA-based cleaning operations!
6 Common Acetone Solvent Uses by Industry
/in Ecolink News/by Industrial DegreasersAcetone is one of the oldest chemical compounds used for industrial purposes. Wikipedia notes that “about 6.7 million tonnes [of acetone] were produced worldwide in 2010.” As more businesses crop up in industries where acetone has a purpose, usage increases. Below are six industries where businesses and organizations commonly use acetone in an official capacity.
As you may already know, fingernail polish removal is one of the most common acetone solvent uses. Some polish remover brands use ethyl acetate as an acetone replacement. But acetone still delivers the gold standard: It thoroughly cleans the nail and leaves it exceptionally dry, which prepares it to bond quite strongly with the next layer of polish. Acetone is also used as a solvent for other cosmetic products, including makeup and skin creams.
Pharmaceutical production is also one of the most common Acetone solvent uses. It’s ideal for blending fillers and active ingredients that comprise pharmaceuticals in pill and liquid form. Without acetone, some pills would be harder to compact to the correct density, and partially dissolved, active pharmaceutical ingredients could literally make one pill stronger than another. Acetone can be absolutely essential for the efficacy of a medication.
Dilutions of acetone are commonly used in the textile industry to remove gums, oils, and other undesirable substances from the fibers of raw textiles (e.g., silk and wool). Because high strength preparations of acetone can dissolve some fibers, the dilution must be precise. This is why textile companies often get their acetone in custom blends from a custom solvent supplier.
Technically, cleaning electronics with acetone isn’t always counted among acetone solvent uses. In many cases, acetone is used as the single active ingredient — and not as a solvent for homogenizing other ingredients — when cleaning electronic devices and components. However, it still makes the list because acetone is used as a solvent for many electronics cleaners.
Disaster cleanup for oil spills often employs acetone as a primary weapon. Acetone can dissolve oil sludge, breaking it up and making it flow away instead of stubbornly staying stuck in place. Other chemical compounds could be used instead, but acetone has the advantage of being an organic compound that is considered non-toxic to humans and the environment.
Just as acetone can break-up petroleum-based oil sludge, it can thin the petroleum found in gasoline. According to automakers and car aficionados, making petroleum molecules more diffuse makes it easier for engines to vaporize gasoline, which leads to better fuel efficiency. With that said, always consult a mechanic before pouring acetone in your gas tank. The gas you use may already have the acetone it needs to promote good fuel efficiency.
About Ecolink
The industries above consistently have one or more acetone solvent uses. Ecolink specializes in supplying eco friendly formulations of acetone to industrial users of all stripes. In addition to offering stock products, we create custom solvents and provide free test samples. To learn more about acetone solvent uses in your industry, please call us today at 800-563-1305, or send us an email through our contact form. We look forward to helping you use acetone effectively!