Ethylene Oxide - EO

Ethylene oxide & E.T.O. (E.O + co2) gas mixture

EO is bactericidal, sporicidal, and virucidal, and has been widely used as a low-temperature sterilant since the 1950s. EO is a colorless gas that is flammable and explosive.

EO’s microbicidal activity is a result of alkylation of proteins, DNA, and RNA in microorganisms, which prevents normal cellular metabolism and replication and thus renders affected microbes nonviable. EO’s high reactivity in combination with high diffusivity plays a major role in the inactivation of microorganisms.

In EO sterilization process, the major factors that affect the lethality of sterilization include EO concentration, temperature, humidity,…