ASTM E1174 Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Health Care Personnel Hand-wash Formulations 

Scope:

ASTM E1174 test method covers the characteristics of antimicrobial hand-washes. The effectiveness of the hand washes along with their bacteria reducing capabilities is checked. The method proceeds with the quality check, heat treatment, and the testing of the chemical composition of materials.  The results obtained from this method help in quality control, research, and performance evaluation of antimicrobial formulations.

Procedure:

In ASTM E1174, the sample is selected as per the requirements and made to use the antimicrobial formulations. The activity of the test material is measured by comparing the number of test organisms recovered from artificially contaminated hands after the use of a hand-washing formulation to the number recovered from contaminated hands not exposed to the test formulation. Two test organisms such as Serratia marcescens and Escherichia coli are used and precautions are taken accordingly.

Specimen detail:

Specimen size should be as per the requirements. In this ASTM E1174 test, the sample consists of individuals who refrained from using antimicrobial hand wash for a week.  Serratia marcescens and Escherichia coli are used as test organisms.

Result:

The method covers the certification, sampling, testing, and inspection of the specimen within the set limits. Log10 reductions at each recovery interval/wash can be determined using the following formula:

Log10 Reduction at Sampling Interval꞊ Log10 Baseline Recovery –  Log10 Sampling Interval

Conclusion:

ASTM E1174 test method is specifically important for the quality assurance and durability check of antimicrobial formulations. Their role in reducing transient bacteria is determined.