What are some of the potential effects of pipette sterilization?
Sterilization by means of irradiation may cause cross-linkage or scission of chemical bonds at the molecular level. The amount of scission or cross linkage is dependent upon chemical composition, morphology, and radiation absorption. These effects may increase or decrease over time. Although the effects of radiation on particular types of material may be predicted, they may also depend upon outside stresses placed in the product during manufacturing or storage after process, which can lead to brownish discoloration of the glass. Therefore, qualification of materials/products at a dose at or above the maximum dose range followed by product functionality at several time frames through out predicted life span of the product is recommended. The results of this testing should be used to establish the maximum dose for routine processing. Pipettes are sterilized at a 25.0-40.0 kGy range based on an AAMI dose validation study performed by our sterilization vendor. The bioburden test data and t
