Legionella control is becoming increasingly vital in both domestic type and process type water systems and chlorine dioxide has taken an eminent position in the control of this and other connected organisms. The specific traits of the disinfectant make sure chlorine dioxide gets the job done where other biocides fail.
Legionella is closely connected with biofilm, being parasitic in character, and biofilm within the pipe work shields Legionella from the vast majority of typical disinfectants. However, chlorine dioxide is a dissolved gas and as such is able to effortlessly go through the biofilm zone, exterminating the bacteria and removing the biofilm.
Biofilm is a multi-level zone of organisms contained inside a slime covering. It forms on areas touching or submerged in water and microbes within the biofilm layer gain protection from the slime and as such protection against concentrations of biocides that would normally exterminate or inhibit these same bacteria simply suspended in liquid.
Biofilms give a safe haven for several pathogenic organisms including E. coli and Legionella where they can propagate to numbers where there is a severe potential risk to wellbeing.
It has been confirmed beyond doubt that chlorine dioxide eliminates biofilm from water systems and stops it from developing when dosed at a continued low level. Sodium hypochlorite however has been proven to have minor impact on biofilms. In actuality, chlorine dioxide is one of the few biocides cited by the ACoP L8 to have effectiveness against Legionella.
Extra advantages of chlorine dioxide over more normal biocides are:
* Chlorine dioxide capability is generally not influenced by pH and works within a wide pH level of between 4 and 10
* Chlorine dioxide has a very rapid kill time and as such contact times inside the system are diminished
* Chlorine dioxide is extremely dispersible and will travel within the water network
* Chlorine dioxide does not form halogenated compounds that have been linked to carcinomas
* Chlorine dioxide is one of the few biocides considered by the ACoP L8 to kill Legionella.
Even though silver catalysed hydrogen peroxide can be utilised as an alternative it can not be dosed for more than 30 days continuously into drinking water supplies due to the health dangers of silver ion accumulation and as such can only be used as a limited term prevention. Chlorine dioxide has consent for continued dosing into water systems and as such is the perfect biocide forLegionella control in drinking water systems.
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Make sure you do lots of investigation before picking chlorine dioxide for Legionella control as generators can be costly and must be made to your requirements.