Air systems treatment guidelines

Solutions

The importance of maintenance

It is necessary to provide adequate prevention me-

asures for regular monitoring and suitable main-

tenance of air conditioners. It is also essential to

provide for regular cleaning and sanitizing of equip-

ment and installation of filters, at the beginning and

at the end of the air duct, in order to preserve the

internal components of the system.

Cleaning

As for cleaning operations, no reference is made to

specific products: water and generic cleaners are

sufficient for both ordinary sanitization and extra-

ordinary (i.e. the one to be operated as a result of

positive case feedback to contamination).

Disinfection

As regards disinfection operations, the ISS shall

always specify that products which have a disin-

fectant, bactericidal, fungicidal, virucidal or any

other action aimed at destroying, eliminate or ren-

der harmless microorganisms, relapse into distinct

regulatory processes: that of Biocide under tran-

sitional Legislation (PMC) and that of Biocides.

In both cases, before they are placed on the mar-

ket, the products must be approved at national or

European level.

In the ISS report no. 19 is given an analysis of whi-

ch products are suitable:

Biocide under transitional Legislation (PMC)

For Biocide under transitional Legislation (PMC), as re-

quired by article 1 of the P.D.R. 392 of 6 October 1998,

the following types of products are understood:

• disinfectants and substances placed on the market as

germicidal or bactericidal

• insecticides for domestic and civil use

• insect-repellent

• rodenticides for domestic and civil use

The use of PMC products has only national value. The

same document explains which are the main active prin-

cipals most used in the PMC authorized in Italy, speci-

fying the relevant scope.

PT1: “products applied to or in contact with the skin

or scalp for the main purpose of disinfecting the

skin or scalp”

PT2: “disinfectant products not intended for direct

application to humans or animals”

Therefore: any product that carries on the label the

wording PMC, with its registration code according

to the P.D.R. 392 of 6 October 1998, containing the-

se active ingredients (and the others indicated in

the report) is suitable for surface disinfection.

Prevention in systems

In water systems, it is always good practice to pro-

vide, along with proper and careful maintenance,

an appropriate disinfection treatment in order to

guarantee the achievement of qualitative parame-

ters adapted to current requirements, in complian-

ce with the provisions of law, in particular Legisla-

tive Decree n. 31 of February 2, 2001. Given their

size, bacteria can penetrate very easily in our hy-

draulic systems, often aided by tiny insects very

mobile and able of getting in. Once into the system,

they tend to move on all surfaces of vessels and

pipelines, regardless of the materials of which are

made of, although some studies show that Biofilm

(ecological niche that represents for opportunistic

pathogenic bacteria an excellent shelter and sour-

ce of nourishment) grows faster than inside plastic

pipes compared to metal tubes, since microorgani-

sms consume the nutrients present in the organic

content of the material that makes up the pipe itself.

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