Keeping tabs on glutaraldehyde sneaking back in
A word of advice relative to conducting safety rounds: Sometimes a little due diligence will help keep things on the straight and narrow.
Lately in my client work, I’ve been running into glutaraldehyde-based disinfectants finding their way back into the environment. Particularly for those folks who have not been able to rid themselves of this product, I’ve found that glutaraldehyde tends to “grow legs” and show up in places where you’d not necessarily expect it.
Where the due and the diligence come into play is by checking with your materials management folks to see if anyone’s been ordering glutaraldehyde (again, a much more straightforward task if it’s not officially been bounced from your environment).
The important overarching concern is that you must at least do initial environmental monitoring when usage begins and ongoing monitoring if you’ve got some change in the “use environment.”
About the Author: Steve MacArthur is a consultant for The Greeley Company, a division of HCPro. He brings 30 years of healthcare management and consulting experience to his work with hospitals, physician offices, and ambulatory care facilities across the country. He is the author of HCPro's Hospital Safety Director's Handbook and is contributing editor for Briefings on Hospital Safety. Contact Steve at 
