Medical – (AS/NZS) 4187:2014
Microbial free and safe water is essential in all medical and hospital environments. Water is a major component in many diverse applications and waterborne pathogens are potentially spread through five main routes as described below:
- Direct contact (bathing)
- Indirect contact (washing of surgical tools)
- Consumption (drinking water)
- Inhalation of droplets (air conditioning units)
- Blood contact (dialysis machines)
Due to debilitated immune systems of patients, and the unavoidable potential of water to human contact, it is vital that the water used in these highly sensitive areas is free from bacteria, viruses and other pathogens.
UV disinfection systems can be used solely or in combination with other water treatment methods such as sediment filtration, activated carbon filtration, water softening, ultrafiltration (UF), reverse osmosis (RO) and electro deionisation (EDI).
UV-Guard’s UV disinfection systems can contribute towards approval to the following codes and standards:
- AS/NZS 4187: Disinfection and sterilisation infection control guidelines
- AS/NZS 3666: Air-handling and water systems of buildings
- AS/NZS 4020: Testing for products for use in contact with drinking water
- Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG)
- ANSI/AAMI/ISO 13959: Water for hemodialysis and related therapies and ANSI/AAMI/ISO 26722: Water treatment equipment for hemodialysis and related therapies
UV-Guard are specialists in the supply of medical UV disinfection systems for:
- Hospital Central Sterile Services Departments (CSSD)
- Sterile Processing Departments (SPD)
- Renal units
- Pathology units
- Warm water and hot water systems
- Potable water provision
- Cooling water systems
Pharmaceutical (Pharma) manufacturing laboratories demand sterile operating conditions. Ultra-pure water is relied upon in a variety of processes in order to produce an end product that meets the strict chemical compositions required. Non ultrapure water is also used in process waters and this must be microbial free to prevent bacterial collonisation in the production infrastructure.
The use of UV light in the pharma industry is extremely versatile and can be used for multiple purposes. Non-ozone producing ultra-violet light or lamps with peak wavelengths of 254nm can be used to disinfect, remove free and combined chlorine (chloramines) and break down ozone. Ozone producing UV light or lamps with peak wavelengths of 185nm can be used for specialised treatment and reduction of Total Organic Carbons (TOC) by oxidizing hydrocarbons. This is specifically advantageous where ultra pure water is a requirement.
UV-Guard have pharmaceutical solutions for:
- Disinfection of process waters to prevent microbial colinisation in infrastructure
- Dechlorination of incoming mains waters to protect processes and treatment membranes (Reverse Osmosis – RO)
- Total Organic Carbon (TOC) reduction for the treatment of ultrapure waters
- Microbial stability of effluent discharges
The use of UV treatment has the following advantages:
- Proven performance – unlike chemicals, UV is effective against all known microorganisms including the Chlorine resistant Giardia and Cryptosporidium.
- Flexibility – can be retrofitted into existing water treatment processes or plumbing infrastructures easily.
- Remote monitoring – performance can be analysed in real time with the results potentially identifying problems with upstream water treatment processes or deterioration in water quality.
- Small OPEX – long term economic operation with minimal maintenance required.
- Chemical free – leaves no residues, odour or coatings on materials.
- Multi-functional – UV not only inactivates microorganisms, it can also remove free chlorine and chloramines, break down ozone and reduce Total Organic Carbon (TOC).
If you are a water treatment system integrator, UV-Guard will collaborate with you to ensure the correct UV system is specified to meet your project requirements.
For more details about the use of UV in medical and other high risk applications, download our brochures below.