Is Peracetic Acid Fumigation Effective in Public Transportation?

Ewelina Kruszewska, Piotr Czupryna, Sławomir Pancewicz, Diana Martonik, Anna Bukłaha and Anna Moniuszko-Malinowska
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Ewelina Kruszewska: Department of Infectious Diseases and Neuroinfections, Medical University of Białystok, Żurawia 14, 15-540 Białystok, Poland
Piotr Czupryna: Department of Infectious Diseases and Neuroinfections, Medical University of Białystok, Żurawia 14, 15-540 Białystok, Poland
Sławomir Pancewicz: Department of Infectious Diseases and Neuroinfections, Medical University of Białystok, Żurawia 14, 15-540 Białystok, Poland
Diana Martonik: Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Medical University of Białystok, Żurawia 14, 15-540 Białystok, Poland
Anna Bukłaha: Department of Microbiological Diagnostics and Infectious Immunology, Medical University of Białystok, Waszyngtona 15A, 15-269 Białystok, Poland
Anna Moniuszko-Malinowska: Department of Infectious Diseases and Neuroinfections, Medical University of Białystok, Żurawia 14, 15-540 Białystok, Poland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 5, 1-9

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic made more people aware of the danger of viruses and bacteria, which is why disinfection began to be used more and more often. Epidemiological safety must be ensured not only in gathering places, but also in home and work environments. It is especially challenging in public transportation, which is a perfect environment for the spread of infectious disease. Therefore, the aim of the study was the identification of bacteria in crowded places and the evaluation of the effect of fumigation with peracetic acid (PAA) in public transportation. Inactivation of microorganisms in buses and long-distance coaches was carried out using an automatic commercial fogging device filled with a solution of peracetic acid stabilized with acetic acid (AA) and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ). Before and after disinfection, samples were taken for microbiological tests. The most prevalent bacteria were Micrococcus luteus and Bacillus licheniformis. Staphylococcus epidermidis was only present in buses, whereas Staphylococcus hominis and Exiguobacterium acetylicum were only present in coaches. Statistical analysis showed a significant reduction in the number of microorganisms in samples taken from different surfaces after disinfection in vehicles. The overall effectiveness of disinfection was 81.7% in buses and 66.5% in coaches. Dry fog fumigation with peracetic acid is an effective method of disinfecting public transport vehicles.

Keywords: disinfection; peracetic acid; fumigation; fogging; public transportation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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