Table 2.

Characteristics of Important Chemical Disinfectants with References

			Temperature Range (in °C)
Active Substance	Spectrum	Effective pH-range	20 to 10	10 to 4	0 to −5	−5 to −30	Inhibitors	Sensitivity Against Organic Matter	Health Aspects (using working solutions, not concentrates)	Toxicity to Environment	Material Tolerance	Stability of Working Solution	Reaction Time	Costs
Aldehydes (glutaraldehydes, formaldehydes)	Bacteria,1,2,5,6 viruses1,2,6 (selective),2 spores (in higher concentrations)1,2	broad2,5	limited effective1 (higher concentrations needed)2	ineffective1,2	ineffective1,2	ineffective1,2		low3,5 (protein error)1	Glutaraldehyde: avoid eye and skin contact Formalin solution: avoid eye and skin contact; releases toxic gas, irritant to respiratory tract and mucous membranes Formaldehyde gas: very toxic to mucous membranes at concentrations down to 2 ppm5	moderate5	noncorrosive (formaldehyde gas corrosive to some metals)5	>7 days in sealed containers5	Formaldehyde: very slow1 (slow)2 Glutaraldehyde: slow1 (fast)2	Formaldehyde: low Glutaraldehyde: high5
Sodium hydroxide	bacteria1,2,5,6 (except mycobacteria and surfaces),1,2 viruses1,2,5,6	narrow, pH ≥ 121,2	effective1,2	effective1, 2	limited effective1 (ineffective)2	limited effective1 (ineffective)2	acids6	low5	irritant to eyes, skin, and mucous membranes5	high5	highly corrosive to aluminium, corrosive to metal alloys5	>7 days5	slow5	low5
Limemilk	bacteria (except mycobacteria)viruses1,2,5		effective2	effective2	effective2	effective (to −10°C)2	acids6	low5	irritant to eyes, skin, and mucous membranes5	high5	stains surfaces5	>7 days5	slow5	low5
Alcohols (eg,ethanol, isopropanol)	bacteria, viruses (selective, only enveloped)1,2	broad2	effective1	slightly limited effective1	slightly limited effective1	ineffective1		low2	low toxicity to humans; used as hand disinfectant1	low3		>7 days	very fast1,2	high3
Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl)	bacteria, viruses, spores2,6	moderate (best: pH 6-8.5, loss of activity >pH 8.5)5 (pH 4-8.5)2	effective1	limited effective1	ineffective1	ineffective1	thiosulfate5	high1,5	irritant to eyes and skin5	low (toxic to fish but rapidly neutralized by organic matter)5	corrosive to metal alloys5	1 day5	slow1 (fast)2	low5
Iodine (J2), Iodophors	bacteria, viruses, spores2,6 (poor activity against spores)6	moderate (pH 2-6)5 (pH 4-8.5)2	effective1	effective1	low effective1	low effective1	hard water, sodium thiosulfate5	high3,6	low toxicity to humans; used as hand disinfectant6	moderate5	corrosive to metal and concrete at acidic pH and at high temperatures (>40°C),3,5 can cause staining of skin and synthetic materials6	5 days5	fast2	high5
Organic acids (eg, formic acid, citric acid, propionic acid)	bacteria (except mycobacteria),2 viruses 2,6	narrow, (pH 2-3)2,5	slightly limited effective1 (higher concentrations needed)2	limited effective1 (ineffective except for mixtures)2	ineffective1,2	ineffective1,2	cationic surfactants,5 alkalis6	low5	irritant to eyes, skin, and respiratory tract5	low5	low corrosive to concrete5	>7 days5	fast1,2
Peracetic acid	bacteria, viruses, spores1,2,5 (also inactivating Clostridium toxins)1	broad2,5 (pH 2-8)2	effective1,2	effective1,2	effective1 (effective with antifreeze)2	effective1 (effective with antifreeze)2	copper, iron, manganese and chloride ions5	low1 (except blood)2 (low to moderate)3,5	reasonable care necessary5	low1,5 (biodegradable)1	low corrosive to concrete, rubber, metal alloys,5 without buffering substances, higher corrosive to base metals1	1 day2 (1-3 days)5	very fast1 (fast)2	high5 (moderate)1
Phenols and phenol derivatives (eg, phenols, cresols)	bacteria1,2,6 (except mycobacteria),1 viruses (selective, only enveloped)1,2,6	broad2	effective1	slightly limited effective1	ineffective1	ineffective1		low1,6	toxic to humans1	high (poorly biodegradable)1	relatively noncorrosive, but absorbed by rubber and some plastics6		slow1 (fast)2
Quaternary ammonium compounds (eg, benzalkonium)	bacteria (except mycobacteria and some Gr- bacteria), viruses (selective, only enveloped)1,2,5,6	broad (pH 3-10.5)2,5	effective4	effective4	ineffective5	ineffective5	hard water, anionic detergents, wetting agents5	high1,3 (moderate)5	nonirritant5	low3 (moderate)5	non corrosive,3,5 except iron3	>7 days5	very slow1 (slow)2

¹ = Biological Hazards I, Manual for Civil Protection (BBK, RKI).

² = Guideline on means and procedures for the disinfection of notifiable animal diseases (BMELV).⁴⁶

³ = Special Issue "Disinfection" (DVG).⁵⁴

⁴ = Efficacy of some disinfectant compounds against porcine bacterial pathogens (Thomson et al.).⁶⁸

⁵ = Aquatic Veterinary Emergency Plan (Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry).⁶²

⁶ = Australian Veterinary Emergency Plan (Primary Industries Ministerial Council, Animal Health Australia)⁶