FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have collaborated to develop a public health notification describing the hazards of using excess cleaning and disinfecting liquids on certain electronic medical equipment, and recommends ways to avoid these hazards.

A broad perspective on contamination drives current infection control strategies that focus on cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces that contribute to cross-transmission of infections. Contaminated surfaces can include:

* Surfaces and equipment with blood or other potentially infectious material

* Surfaces touched by gloved hands after glove contact with patients
* Surfaces touched by patients, and surfaces contacted by or in the vicinity of aerosols and spatter
* Surfaces about whose state of cleanliness the healthcare professional is uncertain

The full public health notification is available at:
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/safety/103107-cleaners.html

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