INFECTION CONTROL
biocide to stop it going off in the packaging. Let’s say, hypothetically, that this biocide has been included as an in- can preservative, and must have been registered in the relevant product category for preservatives. Let’s also say that once the sealant has been applied to the bathroom environment, the biocidal effect continues, but for a limited amount of time not equal to the lifetime of the product. According to the BPR, the company marketing the sealant would not be able to make any performance claims about that biocide outside of its purpose: to be an in-can preservative. This is regardless of the extended ‘out of can’ performance.
This aspect of the BPR is absolutely imperative to the supply and use of biocides, because it introduces limitations on companies misleading consumers into making purchasing decisions based on misrepresented marketing claims.
Antimicrobial resistance and biocides: ‘The overuse of biocides is causing antimicrobial resistance’: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is anticipated to be one of the biggest challenges facing the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said the following: ‘Antimicrobial resistance is a complex problem that affects all of society, and is driven by many
Specialist antimicrobial high-performance resin flooring by BioCote partner, John Lord, in use.
interconnected factors. Single, isolated interventions have limited impact. Coordinated action is required to minimise the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance.’
Across the globe, microbes are showing resistance to drugs and chemicals that
have previously been effective at eliminating them. The most well-known terminology of AMR is antibiotic resistance, where an antibiotic fails to cure an infected individual because the microbe causing the infection has evolved to render the medicine ineffective. WHO’s fact sheet about AMR exclusively discusses antibiotic resistance, as opposed to resistances demonstrated towards other kinds of antimicrobials. The fact sheet also alludes to multiple causes of AMR, and more information on this can be found here:
www.biocote.com/blog/antibiotic- resistance-where-did-it-all-begin
What can be done?
AMR isn’t going away any time soon, and there isn’t a single solution to the problem. Tackling the issue will take effective multi- organisation communication on a global scale, using every ‘tool in the box’. WHO’s recommendations focus on the increased efforts of effective cleaning and strict hand hygiene regimes. When considering the transfer of microbes from human to human, hand hygiene is the big hitter of the two. However, cleaning plays a very important role too. Some microbes can survive on inanimate surfaces for months at a time, and surfaces are always susceptible to recontamination, so regular cleaning is essential.
April 2020 Health Estate Journal 37
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