THE BACTERICIDAL ACTION OF PROPYLENE GLYCOL VAPOR ON MICROORGANISMS SUSPENDED IN AIR. I

J Exp Med . 1942 Jun 1; 75(6): 593–610.

From the Department of Medicine, the Douglas Smith Foundation for Medical Research, the Bartlett Memorial Fund, and the Zoller Memorial Dental Clinic of the University of Chicago, Chicago

© Copyright, 1942, by The Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research New York

This article is distributed under the terms of an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike–No Mirror Sites license for the first six months after the publication date (see

). After six months it is available under a Creative Commons License (Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 4.0 Unported license, as described at

).

This article has been

other articles in PMC.

Abstract

It has been found that propylene glycol vapor dispersed into the air of an enclosed space produces a marked and rapid bactericidal effect on microorganisms introduced into such an atmosphere in droplet form. Concentrations of 1 gm. of propylene glycol vapor in two to four million cc. of air produced immediate and complete sterilization of air into which pneumococci, streptococci, staphylococci, H. influenzae, and other microorganisms as well as influenza virus had been sprayed. With lesser concentrations of propylene glycol, rapid and marked reduction in the number of air-borne bacteria occurred, but complete sterilization of the air required a certain interval of time. Pronounced effects on both pneumococci and hemolytic streptococci were observed when concentrations as low as 1 gm. of glycol to fifty million cc. of air were employed. Numerous control tests showed that failure of the glycol-treated microorganisms to grow on the agar plates was due to actual death of the bacteria. The means by which propylene glycol vapor produces its effect on droplet-borne bacteria is discussed and data relating the bactericidal properties of propylene glycol in vitro to the lethal action of its vapor is presented. Atmospheres containing propylene glycol vapor are invisible, odorless, and non-irritating. This glycol is essentially non-toxic when given orally and intravenously. Tests on possible deleterious effects of breathing propylene glycol containing atmospheres over long periods of time are being carried out.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a

(1.2M).

Selected References

• Robertson OH, Bigg E, Miller BF, Baker Z. STERILIZATION OF AIR BY CERTAIN GLYCOLS EMPLOYED AS AEROSOLS. Science. 1941 Feb 28; 93 (2409):213–214. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Miller BF, Baker Z. INHIBITION OF BACTERIAL METABOLISM BY SYNTHETIC DETERGENTS. Science. 1940 Jun 28; 91 (2374):624–625. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Puck TT. A METHOD FOR DETERMINING THE CONCENTRATION OF PROPYLENE GLYCOL VAPOR IN AIR. Science. 1942 Feb 13; 95 (2459):178–178. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• Robertson OH, Loosli CG, Puck TT, Bigg E, Miller BF. THE PROTECTION OF MICE AGAINST INFECTION WITH AIR-BORNE INFLUENZA VIRUS BY MEANS OF PROPYLENE GLYCOL VAPOR. Science. 1941 Dec 26; 94 (2452):612–613. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]