ASTM E1174 Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Health Care Personnel Handwash Formulations

The ASTM E1174 method is designed to evaluate how effectively health care hand washes inactivate transient bacteria over all surfaces of the hands and fingers using a process that simulates bacterial exposure and hand wash use in clinical settings. This method may be used instead of the ASTM E2276 methodology, which only uses the fingerpads for testing and does not include a realistic hand rubbing step. The method has been specifically designed for hand washes that require water for product lathering and rising.

ASTM E1174: Procedure At a Glance

This test is conducted using the healthy hands of study participants who have not used antimicrobial products for at least one week before testing. Following an initial cleansing wash, the participants’ hands are thoroughly contaminated with a test microorganism such as Serratia marcescens or Escherichia coli and the starting baseline number of microorganisms is determined. The investigational hand wash product is then applied to contaminated hands and the test article is applied according to the Sponsor's use instructions. A reference control test procedure may also be included so that the effectiveness of different hand rub products may be compared.

The baseline and surviving microorganisms are recovered using glove or plastic bag methods and bacteria are enumerated using standard microbiological techniques. The average number of microorganisms recovered after each test are calculated. The effectiveness of the hand wash is determined by comparing the number of microorganisms recovered from contaminated hands after the use of the antiseptic product to the number recovered from contaminated hands that were not exposed to a hand wash product.

ASTM E1174: EUROFINS CRL’S EXPERTISE

Eurofins CRL was founded in 2017 as a collaborative effort between two specialty contract testing facilities. ECRL combines the expertise derived from its legacy with the innovative methods and quality focus that makes the Eurofins name a leader in third-party testing world-wide. 

Eurofins CRL Is:

A contract testing laboratory designed to support the hand hygiene and infection control industry. Testing is carried out in compliance with current FDA, Good Laboratory Practice (GLP), and Good Clinical Practice (GCP) regulations by skilled, experienced microbiologists and chemists, to quickly meet your project testing goals.

Eurofins CRL Is:

An FDA GLP and GCP-compliant testing organization staffed by skilled, experienced microbiologists and subject recruiters.  ECRL can help speed your project to completion.