Hello again,
Of course I am not planing on sharing my retainer with anyone.After a dental procedure my gums bleed and the retainer is full of blood. After a few days gums return to normal and I was thinking that retainer “preserves” the virus in my mouth and got me worried for things like glasses utenslis etc… Anyway, I know it’s silly thought but I a get worried for silly things sometimes.
Talking about inactivating Hep B, is alcohol rubber any good?
Best,
Drew
Bleach and water mix and soak it for about 2-3 minutes. Wash with soap and you should be good
Yes, rubbing alcohol solutions will work (as long as they are over 40%) - High Environmental Stability of Hepatitis B Virus and Inactivation Requirements for Chemical Biocides | The Journal of Infectious Diseases | Oxford Academic
Thank you both very much!
Best,
Drew
Hello! While I was at work I cut myself with a nail that prodruded from the wall. Since this is a place that everybody enters I was wondering on how to clean it.
I was thinking of putting some undiluted bleach on a paper tissue and cover the nail with it. Would that be effective in deactivating the virus? How long should the nail stay covered in the paper tissue to be safe?
On a similar note how lobg can hbv durvive outside the body. If I did not put anything to clean it how manybdays in room temperature would the virus survive and be infectious?
Update: this is a photo of what I did. I put some paper tissue on the nails that i soaked in bleach and left it there for 30 min. Is it safe now? Will that effectively kill hbv?
Thank you!
Dear Anonymous13,
I think that would definitely kill HBV. As mentioned in these other threads (Constant fear of transmitting the virus - #2 by ThomasTu and Must I disclose my status to housemates? - #39 by yanzhang) soaps, detergents, disinfectants and alcohol-based cleansers are all good enough to inactivate HBV.
Hope this helps,
Thomas
Hi Anonymous 13, I just learned where the fact that the hep b virus can live outside the body for at least 7 days came from. It was a CDC study where a small blood droplet on a hard surface was allowed to dry for 7 days. Then scientists “scraped” up the dried blood and mixed it with a solution to test it and see if the hep b virus was still viable. When I heard this then I realized that the odds of someone coming into contact with dried blood and getting infected is very very low. Anyhow hearing this story reduced any personal anxiety I’ve had over the years about hep b transmission. It’s really not going to be transmitted because there was blood left on a wall like you described above. Yes, it’s good hygiene (and good manners) to clean up anything, but we don’t need to be so afraid of infecting others because of a small incident like you described. I’m only saying this to help reduce your anxiety, not diminish your concerns. Hope this makes sense. Thanks and always, Joan
hello! I was watching the news todays. Once again they were talking about covid and hygiene and it got me thinking about hbv. Of course soap and water kills HBV but is the standard procedure of 30seconds enough to do so? Given the durabillity of the virus should we -in case we came in contact with some fluids (e.g. blood form a cut)- wash our hands longer (2-3 minutes)?
I think detergents would kill the virus pretty quickly and there would not be much of a difference between 30s and 2 min exposure. The reason we’re asked to wash hands for 2 minutes is because that’s how long it takes to scrub all your hand surfaces properly, not because it takes that long to kill the pathogens.
TT
Hello @ScienceExperts!
As you might have noticed from my previous posts my biggest concern is transmission. Today I was cooking and I cut myshelf. I only noticed when I show some drops of blood in my hand. It was a very small cut. In the meantime, however, I touched a few oven pans and a pot. To be honest I did not see any blood on them but I want to clean them thoroughly to make sure.
I was thinking of washing them with water and bleach and then disinfect them in the oven and finally rinse with water and soap. My questions are: Is this strategy effective? Also for how long and in what temperature should I leave the pans inside the oven to kill HBV?
Thank you a lot!
http://www.ospedalesicuro.eu/storia/ov/fdrEepaB.html
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a very resistant pathogen: it survives at room temperature (up to six months), it endures cold (below 20°C up to several years), heat (60°C up to 4 hours) and UV irradiation.
It is inactivated by high temperatures (121°C) and by stove and autoclave treatment.
HBV virus is highly infective, in fact it has been estimated that it is 100 times more infective than HIV virus. The virus is present in all bodily liquids and secretions (blood, saliva, sperm, vaginal secretions, urine).
Some more reading:
Even more reading:
Hi Drew,
A simple and thorough wash with a good detergent and warm water will suffice.
hello @availlant !
Thank you very much for your promt response!
I know my idea is an overkill but when these things happen from time time I cannot stop thinking about it.
Just to ease my mind If I were to put the appliances in the oven to disinfect them what is the temperature that kills HBV and how long will it take to achieve that?
Best,
Drew
I think the procedure is ok but why not vaccinate against HBV your house contacts ?
Prof. Pietro Lampertico, MD, PhD
Full Professor of Gastroenterology
Head of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Division
Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico
University of Milan
Via Francesco Sforza 35
20122- Milan
Italy
Phone +390255035432
Fax +390250320410
Email pietro.lampertico@unimi.it
Hello!
They are vaccinated but still I want to make sure that the everything is disinfected.
150 degC for 15 min.
Hi Drew,
We routinely remove the envelope of HBV (that kills it) with a detergent solution that is milder than typically used for dishwashing (for example, 0.5% NP40 on ice for 10 min), so a really good washing in hot water, making sure to get into any cracks or indentations on the pots, knives, and cutting board will do it. Make sure the surfaces are in contact with the hot soapy water for a few minutes or longer. If you want to get more aggressive, wetting the contaminated surface with a 10% solution of household bleach (ie, 10 ml bleach + 90 ml water) will also efficiently kill the virus (that is the method required in my lab by the local safety authorities). I don’t have any experience killing HBV with heat other than using an autoclave (they sterilize with hot, pressurized steam at ~120C), but I would be very surprised if the virus survived baking at 175-200 C for 0.5-1.0 hours.
I also want to commend you for your concern about transmitting the virus. That shows an honorable concern for others.
John.
Well, I think these procedures are ok but if the have been vaccinated and if they responded to vaccination (anti-HBs titers > 10 IU/ml) they are protected anyway
Prof. Pietro Lampertico, MD, PhD
Full Professor of Gastroenterology
Head of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Division
Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico
University of Milan
Via Francesco Sforza 35
20122- Milan
Italy
Phone +390255035432
Fax +390250320410
Email pietro.lampertico@unimi.it
Thank you Mr. @john.tavis!
And thank you all again for your responses!
I will clean them with ousehold bleach first and then burn them in the oven at 250C for 90 minutes just to make sure… Mr. @availlant mentioned only 15 minutes but I guess there is no harm in overdoing it a bit just to get it out of my mind.
Once again I feel so lucky that this community exists!
All the best,
Drew
Drew just so you aware sterilizing conditions are 121 degC for 30-60 min.
You can do whatever makes you confortable…
