How do you evaluate the environmental and safety impact of your cleaning agent selection and disposal?

1 Cleaning agent characteristics

When selecting a cleaning agent, it is important to consider its solubility, compatibility, and safety. The cleaning agent should be able to dissolve or remove residues or contaminants from equipment or facility surfaces, while not damaging, corroding, or degrading the materials. It should also not react with the residues or contaminants or form harmful by-products. Furthermore, the cleaning agent should not pose any health or environmental hazards to workers, products, or surroundings. It should have a low toxicity, volatility, flammability, and reactivity.

2 Cleaning agent selection criteria

When selecting a cleaning agent for the cleaning validation process, you should take into account the cleaning method, frequency, and performance. The cleaning method refers to how the cleaning agent is applied, circulated, sprayed, or wiped on the equipment or facility surfaces, and it will affect the contact time, temperature, pressure, and concentration of the cleaning agent. The cleaning frequency determines how often the equipment or facility is cleaned and has an effect on the accumulation, degradation, and removal of residues or contaminants. Lastly, the cleaning performance is evaluated by acceptance criteria such as visual inspection, swab sampling, rinse sampling, or analytical testing and tells you how well the cleaning agent removes residues or contaminants from the equipment or facility surfaces.

3 Cleaning agent disposal methods

The cleaning agent disposal methods refer to the collection, treatment, and disposal of the cleaning agent after use. These methods can have an effect on the environmental and safety impact of the cleaning validation process. When disposing of a cleaning agent, you should consider reuse, recycle, or dispose. Reuse involves using the cleaning agent more than once for the same or different purpose, which can reduce waste and costs but increase the risk of cross-contamination. Recycle involves recovering and reprocessing the cleaning agent for reuse or other applications, which can save resources but require additional equipment, energy, and chemicals. Dispose refers to discarding the cleaning agent as waste, which can eliminate the cleaning agent from the system but generate emissions that could harm the environment or human health.

4 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?