Why continuous monitoring of environmental hydrogen peroxide in workplace?
Hydrogen peroxide is a powerful sterilizing agent for low temperature sterilization and surface decontamination. Its strong oxidizing properties make it highly effective in eliminating pathogens. However, the physical characteristics of H2O2 is no odour and colour, which made itself difficult to be discovered without monitoring equipment. If leakage occurs during operation of sterilizers or decontamination, if residual hydrogen peroxide is present after completed or failed cycles, or if the room exhaust system fails, it can become harmful and pose health risks to exposed individuals.
Short-term exposure can cause severe irritation to skin, eyes, nose, throat, lungs, and the gastrointestinal tract. Long-term exposure to hydrogen peroxide is classified as a Group 3 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Therefore, minimizing exposure to hydrogen peroxide is critical, in line with established guidelines and local regulations.
In Hong Kong, the Labor Department has published a code of practice concerning air impurities (chemical substances) in the workplace, referencing various international or national guidelines. This code providing practical guidance for employers on ensuring the safety of workers against airborne chemical produced during use, handling, storage, and transport of these substances. Occupational exposure limits (OELs) for hydrogen peroxide stipulate that the time-weighted average (TWA) should remain below 1 ppm and 1.4 mg/m3, indicating that the average concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the workplace must not exceed 1 ppm over an eight-hour workday.
Handheld spot-check device only measures hydrogen peroxide concentrations at specific points intermittently, rather than providing continuous monitoring of environmental levels as recommended by guidelines. Utilizing this handheld device to assess high-risk areas further increases the operators’ exposure to potentially elevated concentration of hydrogen peroxide.
Continuous real-time hydrogen peroxide vapor concentration monitoring system in ppm with sufficiently high sensitivity and equipped with alarm would be a good idea to support healthy and safety workplace. System with alarm system would help alerting operators, enabling them to swiftly mitigate the risk of exposure to high concentration. This will also allow for immediate corrective actions to address the situation effectively.
