Cheltenham Racecourse

Bio Decontamination Ltd provide a dry vapour system that produces a highly efficient solution for the sterilisation of facilities. The disinfection process does not produce toxic aldehyde vapours and therefore results in extremely short facility downtime. Typically, the entire process can be completed in hours.

Case Study – Commercial stables

Requirement

It is widely accepted that VHP is an effective decontaminant of well designed well maintained facilities but could the same results be achieved in a building designed purely for the housing of animals. To best demonstrate the effect of VHP we were asked to decontaminate stables used for the short term veterinary inspection of race horses at Cheltenham Racecourse.

Solution

Prior to the decontamination, veterinary staff at the stables were provided with bio indicators impregnated with Geobacillus stearothermophylus, to place in three stables in positions of their choice, two of these stables would be decontaminated and the third would act as a control. These bio indicators would serve as a second validation measure (see Figure 2), in addition to the “real-time” Relative Humidity monitoring (see Figure 1), to demonstrate the effectiveness of the dry vapour.

Initial set up of the system in and outside of the stables took approximately 20 – 30 minutes.
One nozzle and 4 Relative Humidity sensors were used in each of the stables to be decontaminated, the doors were closed and the hydrogen peroxide vapour process started.
Monitoring of the “real-time” RH graphs on the laptop computer indicated that the dry vapour dispersion was as expected and had reached the required level in all monitored areas and was maintained for the required kill time of one hour. On completion of the kill time the dry vapour process was ended and the vapour was allowed to disperse naturally.

Graph After 10 minutes the stable door was opened and a draeger pump used to take a reading of the level of hydrogen peroxide in the stable, this was found to be below the HSE minimum level for safe reoccupation.
The bio indicators including the control bio indicator were placed in transport media and removed from the stables for incubation back at Bio Decontamination; the treated spore strips were “negative” for growth.

Spore strip	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7
1	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
2	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
3	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
4	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
5	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
6	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
7	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
8	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Control	√	√	√	√	√	√	√

Conclusion

The speed and effectiveness of the VHP decontamination in the stables combined with further trials conducted by Bio decontamination Ltd at Haydock and validation by the Animal Health Trust has led to British Horseracing Authority granting our system and product (VHP) approval as a disinfectant under General Instruction 7.2

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