Editing Disinfectant (section)

==Definitions==
The Australian [[Therapeutic Goods Act 1989|Therapeutic Goods Order No. 54]] defines several grades of disinfectant as will be used below.<ref name="govau">{{cite news |title=Therapeutic Goods Order No. 54 — Standard for Disinfectants and Sterilants as amended made under section 10 of the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 |url=https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2009C00327/bd2c6695-86a5-4eef-9ca6-387bb0514be5 |agency=Federal Register of Legislative Instruments |issue=F2009C00327 |publisher=legislation.gov.au |date=25 March 2009}} [[File:CC-BY icon.svg|50px]]  Text was copied from this source, which is available under a [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/  Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License].</ref>

===Sterilant===
'''Sterilant''' means a chemical agent which is used to sterilize critical medical devices or medical instruments. A sterilant kills all micro-organisms with the result that the sterility assurance level of a microbial survivor is less than 10^-6. Sterilant gases are not within this scope.{{cn|date=November 2023}}

===Low level disinfectant===
'''Low level disinfectant''' means a disinfectant that rapidly kills most [[Vegetative reproduction|vegetative bacteria]] as well as medium-sized [[Viral envelope|lipid containing viruses]], when used according to labelling. It cannot be relied upon to destroy, within a practical period, [[bacterial endospores]], [[mycobacteria]], [[fungi]], or all small [[Viral envelope|nonlipid viruses]].{{cn|date=November 2023}}

===Intermediate level disinfectant===
'''Intermediate level disinfectant''' means a disinfectant that kills all microbial pathogens except bacterial endospores, when used as recommended by the manufacturer. It is [[bactericidal]], [[tuberculocidal]], [[fungicidal]] (against asexual spores but not necessarily dried [[chlamydospores]] or [[sexual spores]]), and [[virucidal]].{{cn|date=November 2023}}

===High level disinfectant===
'''High level disinfectant''' means a disinfectant that kills all [[microbial pathogens]], except large numbers of bacterial endospores when used as recommended by its manufacturer.{{cn|date=May 2024}}

===Instrument grade===
'''Instrument grade disinfectant''' means:
# a disinfectant which is used to reprocess reusable therapeutic devices; and
# when associated with the words "low", "intermediate" or "high" means "low", "intermediate" or "high" level disinfectant respectively.

===Hospital grade===
Hospital grade means a disinfectant that is suitable for general purpose disinfection of building and fitting surfaces, and purposes not involving instruments or surfaces likely to come into contact with broken skin:{{cn|date=June 2022}}
# in premises used for:
#* the investigation or treatment of a disease, ailment or injury; or
#* procedures that are carried out involving the penetration of the human skin; or,
# in connection with:
#* the business of beauty therapy or hairdressing; or
#* the practice of podiatry;

but does not include :
# Instrument grade disinfectants; or
# sterilant; or
# an antibacterial clothes preparation; or
# a sanitary fluid; or
# a sanitary powder; or
# a sanitiser.

===Household/commercial grade===
'''Household/commercial grade disinfectant''' means a disinfectant that is suitable for general purpose disinfection of building or fitting surfaces, and for other purposes, in premises or involving procedures other than those specified for a hospital-grade disinfectant, but is not:{{cn|date=November 2023}}
# an antibacterial clothes preparation; or
# a sanitary fluid; or
# a sanitary powder; or
# a sanitiser