timw@zeb.USWest.COM (04/25/89)
A few days ago I posted the simple question:
"Can you sterilize glass in a microwave ?"
I got a range of responses, but no general consensus. The most
defensible posture was that the microwaves would blow up a
percentage of the offending 'cooties', but that the waves
do not have adequate percentile coverage to make the technique
work reliably. In other words, "cold spots" in the oven would
allow for a percentage of survivors.
One fellow claims that cock-a-roaches can survive the 700 watt
sun tan by scurrying from cold spot to cold spot in the oven.
I'd like to try this, but I need to wait for my wife to leave
town for a while :{).
I'm still wondering if it would work, if the glassware was in
motion inside the oven on a 3D gimbel device, and the oven were
of high wattage (>1000). This way, scientists could sterilize
their dishes, flasks and beakers quickly, completely and without
cool down periods.
Am I a loon, or what ?
Tim Walker
Littleton, Coloradotimw@zeb.USWest.COM (04/28/89)
Greetings. A short while back, I posted a request for feedback of ideas regarding the use of microwave technology in the lab to sterilize glassware. I have gotten some good responses via e-mail. However, most of the responses talked about the temperatures for killing spores and bacteria, in the less then 300 def. F. range. I'm talking about blasting the little peckers in to space by high wattage (+1000) and thorough coverage (i.e. glassware in motion on 3D gimbel). Will it work ? How do test for sterilization completeness ? Thanks ! Tim Walker Littleton, Colorado
rg20+@andrew.cmu.edu (Rick Francis Golembiewski) (05/01/89)
>I'm talking about blasting the little peckers in to
s>pace by high wattage (+1000) and thorough coverage (i.e.
gl>assware in motion on 3D gimbel). Will it work ? How do test
for> sterilization completeness ?
It might work (after all there certainly is enough energy to fry
anything living on the glass), as for testing that's easy, take your sterilized
glass and put it in a sterile incubator and let it incubate for a
while, then check it to see if there is any bacterial/fungal colonies,
assuming that your incubator is really sterile then there shouldn't
be if the process worked. Alternately make something similar to
autoclave tape, which turns a different color when it is exposed to
enough microwaves to ensure sterilization. However the real question
is: Is there any real need for it? After all autoclaving using steam
is effective and can be used on metals, and since most labs have large
"ovens" already, there is no particular need for a giant microwave...
(Not to mention that glassware is fairly cheap and most labs have lots of it
[just in case it gets drpped] so that they can wait for it to be autoclaved).
// Rick Golembiewski rg20+@andrew.cmu.edu \\
\\ #include stddisclaimer.h //
\\ "I never respected a man who could spell" //
\\ -M. Twain //jim@nih-csl.UUCP (jim sullivan) (05/02/89)
In article <8YKor8y00WB_85PypV@andrew.cmu.edu> rg20+@andrew.cmu.edu (Rick Francis Golembiewski) writes: > > >I'm talking about blasting the little peckers in to > s>pace by high wattage (+1000) and thorough coverage (i.e. > gl>assware in motion on 3D gimbel). Will it work ? How do test > for> sterilization completeness ? > It might work (after all there certainly is enough energy to fry > anything living on the glass), as for testing that's easy, take your sterilized > glass and put it in a sterile incubator and let it incubate for a You have forgotten the nastiest buggers of all... viruses. They carry little if any water in them and so would probably live through a 2000 watt storm of microwaves. Whether their DNA/RNA would be immune from the radiation itself is questionable. The reason I'll bet it hasn't been done is that as soon as someone states in a PAPER that they used microwaves to sterilize their glassware, no one will take the paper seriously. Jim Sullivan jim@nih-csl.dcrt.nih.gov