The CDC's National Institute for Occupational Health (NIOSH) issued a report urging hospitals to take healthcare workers' health and safety into account when choosing a new disinfectant, according to an article on the Becker's Hospital Review website.
In 2014, a Pennsylvania hospital introduced a new, Environmental Protection Agency-registered disinfection product that consisted of hydrogen peroxide, peroxyacetic acid and acetic acid.
The NIOSH received a complaint asking for a health hazard evaluation at the hospital because employees were reporting symptoms like eye and nose problems, asthma-like symptoms, skin problems, coughing and chest tightness.
The air samples for hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid were below their occupational exposure limits, and no full-shift exposure limit has been established for peroxyacetic acid, but the report suggested that because both hydrogen peroxide and peroxyacetic acid are strong oxidants, the presence of both contributed to the worker's symptoms.
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