HANDHELD MONITOR FOR ETHYLENE OXIDE IN HOSPITALS

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Ethylene oxide (EtO) is a useful agent for sterilizing medical equipment because it involves no heat and is not corrosive to most materials. Many medical facilities, however, cannot use EtO because of its toxicity and because of the difficulty of monitoring it. Present methods (infrared, chromatography,k and photoionization) are all inadequate for different reasons. We propose to adapt a proven technique, controlled pyrolysis combined with electrochemical detection, to identify and measure EtO at 1 to 1000 parts per million and will also indicate the presence of interferences. Similar technology may be adapted to the measurement of nitrous oxide and other anaesthesia gases.