| abstract |
THE PRESENT INVENTION RELATES TO A PROCESS FOR STERILIZING A SURFACE BY CONTACT OF THE SURFACE WITH A STERILIZATION AGENT. FOLLOWING THE INVENTION, THE SURFACE IS PLACED IN CONTACT WITH A LOW TEMPERATURE GAS PLASMA CONTAINING AT LEAST 10 MMGLITER OF AN ALDEHYDE UNDER SUBATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE, PREFERREDLY AT A PRESSURE OF ABOUT 0.1 TO 10 MM OF MERCURY, IN A TREATMENT CHAMBER 1. IN ACCORDANCE WITH MOST KNOWN GAS STERILIZATION PROCESSES, THE PROCESS OF THE INVENTION IS EXTREMELY SAFE, ALLOWS QUICK HANDLING OF HEAT SENSITIVE OBJECTS, DOES NOT CORRIDE THE OBJECTS AND LEAVE NO RESIDUE TOXIC. |