Remove Endotoxin Residue

Q: Does Alconox detergent remove endotoxin? 

A: Detergents like Alconox® Powdered Precision Cleaner and Liquinox® Critical Cleaning Liquid Detergent, and others, have been used for decades around the globe to create surfaces devoid of residues.  A detergent cleaning is a vital part of a depyrogenation program.  But the detergent itself does not guarantee logarithmic reduction.  Cleaning before disinfection/sterilization/depyrogenation is the key here.  Else we risk having, in this specific application you are asking about, depyrogenated “stuff” which can of course hide things.  This harkens back to one of the core principles in a sterility program:  clean before disinfection. 

This article elaborates some on pyrogens: Biocompatibility Testing for Pyrogens, as well as this one from outside our company: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/pyrogen

In short, to remove endotoxin residue from medical devices, and other critical surfaces, a high-emulsifying detergent combined with heat is typically used. After cleaning, in order to show maintenance of the newly cleaned surface, the device should be rinsed with water that is certified endotoxin-free, such as cell culture grade pyrogen/endotoxin-free (LAL water), sterile endotoxin-free, or cell culture grade water, or similar. A heated depyrogenation cycle can follow depending on procedures and endotoxin limits sought.