The Importance of Standards for Air and Steam Disinfection
In key sectors such as healthcare and food, public health and safety is an absolute priority. Controlling microbiological risks requires rigorously evaluated disinfection solutions.
While regulations impose safety targets, they give companies the freedom to adopt – or ignore – specific technical standards. Standards, on the other hand, which are genuine guarantees of excellence, go beyond regulatory requirements by incorporating stricter performance criteria and an eco-friendly approach.
NF T 72-110, for steam disinfection, and NF EN 17272, for airborne disinfection, are leading industry standards. They provide a rigorous framework for guaranteeing optimum performance, enhanced safety, and unwavering reliability in the fight against micro-organisms.
Within this context, visionary companies such as Oxy’Pharm are exploring the potential of these standards to develop further innovative solutions.
Why Is Standardisation Crucial in the Field of Disinfection ?
STANDARDS: BEYOND REGULATIONS
Standards differ from regulations in that they are voluntary. While regulations set overall objectives to protect public health and the environment, standards outline the technical solutions that enable these objectives to be pursued and achieved with precision.
They are developed through agreements between various stakeholders, including companies, professionals, and users, which guarantees both their relevance and applicability. In terms of disinfection, standards establish rigorous protocols for assessing the antimicrobial performance of different processes.
In particular, standards help to:
- Harmonise practices at national, European, and international levels.
- Ensure optimum efficiency using standardised tests.
- Guarantee safety for users and the environment.
There are three levels of standardisation: national (prefix NF, coordinated by AFNOR in France), European (prefix EN), and international (prefix ISO).
In France, European standards automatically become national standards, but the reverse is not true. A standard that only has the NF prefix is therefore specifically applicable to and implemented in France. This is the case for NF T 72-110, which is specific to steam disinfection. This French standard therefore offers a unique benchmark for guaranteeing the effectiveness of these processes.
THE NORMATIVE CRITERIA FOR DISINFECTION
Disinfection standards vary according to specific products and areas of use. They precisely define the application conditions and protocols to be respected, particularly in terms of composition, concentration, contact time, and temperature. These requirements ensure optimum effectiveness while protecting human health and the environment.
In addition, these standards specify the types of micro-organisms targeted (including bacteria, yeasts, moulds, viruses, and bacterial spores), the exact strains to be used for testing, and the levels of microbiological reduction expected for each category.
Standardisation is particularly important for airborne surface disinfection devices (ASDD) and steam generators. It validates and supports their ability to achieve disinfection levels in line with current health expectations, thereby boosting the confidence of users and professionals.
Specific Standards for ASD and Steam Disinfection
UNDERSTANDING NF T 72-100 AND EN 17272 STANDARDS
The NF T 72-110 and NF EN 17272 standards play a key role in assessing and validating disinfection processes.
In France, NF T 72-110 is an essential standard for steam disinfection, a technology recognised for its exemplary efficiency and low environmental impact.
At the European level, the NF EN 17272 standard has become a cornerstone in the assessment of automated airborne disinfection systems, ensuring reliable and uniform performance.
THE NF T 72-110 STANDARD: A BENCHMARK FOR STEAM DISINFECTION
The NF T 72-110 standard, published in March 2019, is essential for assessing the disinfectant capacity of steam surface disinfection (SSD) devices. Designed to meet the needs of various sectors, including human health, veterinary, agri-food, industry and local authority activities, this standard sets out rigorous protocols to ensure reliable and quantifiable antimicrobial performance of equipment on which steam is used as a disinfectant.
It defines precise methods for assessing bactericidal, fungicidal, yeasticidal, sporicidal, and virucidal efficacy, including against bacteriophages in the agri-food sector. These protocols also include requirements for the preparation of the microbial suspensions used in the tests, as well as strict evaluation criteria such as temperature, pressure, and exposure time.
By guaranteeing standardised testing conditions, NF T 72-110 provides an objective, reliable, and reproducible method for assessing the performance of steam disinfection systems. Its adoption reflects the commitment of companies to meet demanding performance and safety criteria. It therefore provides a valuable reference framework for manufacturers who want to prove the effectiveness of their solutions, and for users looking to acquire equipment that complies with the strictest standards.
In a context where there are still limited European standards specific to steam disinfection, NF T 72-110 has established itself as a unique benchmark, bolstering professional trust in this ecological and innovative technology while meeting growing expectations in terms of public health and environmental safety.
NF EN 17272: A European Standard for Airborne Surface Disinfection (ASD)
NF EN 17272 provides an essential framework for airborne methods of disinfecting rooms using automated processes. It establishes specific performance requirements for systems using airborne disinfectants as a vector, enabling uniform and effective treatment of large surfaces.
This standard is defined by the strict experimental conditions used in its development, including the volume treated, the concentrations of active agents, and the types of micro-organisms targeted. It covers a wide range of pathogens, including vegetative bacteria, mycobacteria, bacterial spores, yeasts, moulds, viruses, and bacteriophages, guaranteeing efficacy tailored to the varied needs of different professional sectors.
As manual processes are excluded, the standard focuses instead on automated systems, with the disinfectant being dispensed without direct operator intervention. It also specifies rigorous testing methods for assessing disinfectant activity in a variety of contexts, including medical, veterinary, agri-food, industrial, domestic, and community, with a particular emphasis on the disinfection of non-porous surfaces.
By harmonising practices at the European level, NF EN 17272 simplifies the comparison and assessment of automated airborne disinfection systems. It provides users with a guarantee that compliant products meet quality, reliability, and safety standards, thereby rising to meet the growing biosafety requirements in critical sectors such as public health, agri-food, and industry.
The voluntary adoption of this standard reflects a strong commitment to high standards of infection control. It is also recognised by the recommendations of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) as the key standard for obtaining regulatory authorisation for biocides in automated airborne disinfection systems.
Phase 2 Stage 2 standards to Guarantee Effectiveness in real-life conditions
The NF T 72-110 and EN 17272 standards belong to the category of “phase 2, stage 2” standards, which represent one of the most advanced levels of assessment of the effectiveness of disinfection processes. This type of standard goes beyond laboratory tests (phase 1) and preliminary testing (phase 2, step 1), and seeks to reproduce real conditions of use as far as possible.
In practical terms, this means that the testing procedures simulate operational environments very similar to those encountered in the field, incorporating parameters such as the nature of the surfaces to be treated, the presence of organic soiling, and application constraints (such as time, concentration, and diffusion).
The application of these standards makes it possible to validate not only the theoretical effectiveness of disinfection processes or equipment, but also their performance under realistic conditions, thereby reinforcing their credibility and relevance for professional users.
This rigorous framework offers a real guarantee of reliability for compliant equipment and processes, enabling companies to demonstrate their commitment to effective solutions tailored to the specific needs of critical sectors such as healthcare, the food industry, and local authority activities.
Standards for Excellence in Disinfection
NF T 72-110 and NF EN 17272 establish a rigorous framework for validating steam and airborne disinfection processes. Their adoption goes beyond mere regulatory compliance; it reflects a commitment to excellence, innovation, and responsibility. By adopting these technical standards, companies are committing to guaranteeing safe, effective, and sustainable solutions that meet today’s public health and environmental challenges.
Against this backdrop, committed players such as Oxy’Pharm are demonstrating that it is possible to combine scientific rigour, technological performance, and environmental responsibility. The Sanivap and Nocotech solutions, which comply with these standards, embody this quest for innovation and efficiency, positioning disinfection as an essential lever for protecting public health and the environment.