Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) monitor gauges for testing and validation of biological laboratory disinfection process.

Purpose: Many University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) laboratories work with microbiological organisms, which without enough safety precautions or if inappropriately contained, may lead to harmful diseases to the people working in the laboratories. The presence of these organisms on the working stations of the laboratory personnel infers improper disinfection of the surfaces which might lead to a possible exposure and deleterious health effects leading to lawsuits. Therefore, the study aims at detecting these microorganisms using an Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) monitor. Methods: The study involves the use of the ATP monitor which gauges the presence of a biological agent at any surface and has mostly been used in the food industry for maintaining the quality of food. It has not yet been used in laboratory settings and is going to be tested for its efficacy in such an environment for the first time in UNTHSC labs. As it is an intervention of its kind, the process involves the identification of the labs using biological agents through an annual laboratory inspection and later using the ATP monitor on surfaces coming in frequent contact with people using those particular labs. Results: The results obtained after analysis of the data gathered by the ATP monitor would be used to establish a baseline level of cleanliness and decontamination for laboratories and create a periodic testing protocol to maintain the established levels. Conclusion: The research-oriented laboratories on the UNTHSC campus are of Biosafety Level (BSL) 1 or 2 which implies that they work with several pathogenic organisms which pose a moderate risk to human health. Using an ATP monitor seems to be a promising approach towards enhancing the biosafety on the campus and maintaining a good validation process for laboratory disinfection, thus keeping the environment a safe area to conduct research.