CSI: DECONTAM – ISSUE NO 232

Last night, I was looking through the TV channels and came across some old CSI episodes. I don't regularly watch the show, but I'm very entertained anytime I do. For anyone that has never watched CSI, it's a drama series about crime scene investigators and how they use forensic evidence to solve crimes. In most cases they are solving mystery murders and using special testing techniques in their lab. Many of you probably feel sometimes that you're working in a CSI lab while in the decontam. Are you ever trying to identify the origin of the stain? Is it blood? When you put on your investigator hat make sure you're using the right tools for the job. Cleaning verification products, like the Hemocheck™can help you determine if that stain is really blood. You just swab the instrument, drop the swab in the activated indicator, shake vigorously, wait for 30 seconds and check for color change. If the swab remains yellow, the instrument is free of blood. If any area of the swab turns green or blue, the surface harbors blood residue and should be reprocessed. If many instruments are found to be soiled, a thorough evaluation of the decontamination processes should be conducted. HemoCheck™ complies with ASTM Guide D7225.