DEEP RIVER, CT April 4, 2012. PCI Medical announced their move to a newly remodeled state-of-art headquarters in Deep River, CT. The announcement is made by Philip Coles, President of PCI Medical. The new facility, which is 36,000 square feet, is located at 6 Winter Avenue in Deep River, CT. PCI Medical develops and manufactures GUS® Disinfection Soak Stations that protect the healthcare worker from toxic fumes during the disinfection process and protect their delicate instruments.
PCI Medical has moved twice in recent years, both relocations were due to growth. Coles said, “The new facility provides a better working environment that brings comfort and organizational efficiency.” It took seven months to completely renovate the building that was designed with environmental consideration. Coles was “happy to recycle an old building” that was otherwise derelict.
Since its start in 1995, PCI Medical has been based in the Connecticut River Valley. Coles purposely looked for a new locale within the region to continue to support the local economy and to make the transition as easy as possible on staff. The town of Deep River were very helpful in facilitating the move.
PCI Medical has received recognition for outstanding work over the years, including receiving the Gold Winner of the Connecticut Quality Improvement Award. PCI is also ISO 9001:2008 certified.
PCI Medical is the leader in protecting staff from toxic vapors, preventing damage to instruments and simplifying the disinfection process. To find out more, please visit www.pcimedical.com
Dumping used OPA or glutaraldehyde down the drain without first deactivating it can be dangerous to you and, in some cases, illegal. 
A popular misconception is that used OPA or glutaraldehyde is no longer biocidal (read dangerous) after its reuse date has passed or it has failed a MEC test. In fact, both OPA and glutaraldehyde remain highly biocidal after the reuse date or after failing the MEC test.
OPA & Glutaraldehyde
OPA and glutaraldehyde are the most widely used liquid High Level Disinfectants (HLD’s) for heat sensitive devices such as endoscopes and endocavity ultrasound probes. OPA and glutaraldehyde based HLD’s can be reused for up to 14 days (some for up to 30 days). In addition to the maximum reuse period, the high level disinfectant has to pass the manufacturers Minimum Effective Concentration (MEC) testing to confirm efficacy of the product. This should be conducted before each disinfection cycle that is done by using the manufacturers test strips and comparing the color against a color chart. In the case of high volume automated reprocessors, the MEC test can often fail long before the reuse date expires. As mentioned earlier, a failed MEC test does not mean that it is safe to dump the HLD without first deactivating it.
What’s the Danger?
It is dangerous to you because the simple act of pouring used disinfectant into a sink or hopper breaks the surface tension and results in a rapid off gassing of vapor. Testing routinely shows levels above 1 ppm in the breathing zone during disposal (this is twenty times higher than the ACGIH level of 0.05 ppm). It can also result in splashes and spills adding to the off gassing of vapor. Even worse is the risk of a dropped container causing the HLD to shoot up into a person’s face. The simple and inexpensive act of neutralizing the used chemical before disposal eliminates these very real risks.
Is it Illegal?
In some areas of the country it is illegal to dispose of used OPA and glutaraldehyde into a Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW) without first neutralizing. The manufacturer of OPA has informed DTSC (Department of Toxic Substances Toxic Substances Control) that the solution at use-dilution (failed MEC test) fails the California aquatic bioassay toxicity characteristic and thus is hazardous waste when discarded without treatment. The conditions of treatment are that:
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The waste (HLD) is generated by a medical facility during the disinfection of medical devices.
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That it is treated at the site where it was generated.
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That the sole active chemical of the neutralizing solution is glycine.
For more information visit: http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/HazardousWaste/upload/HWM_FS_Generator_Requirements.pdf
Exposure Levels
The current maximum vapor exposure level of glutaraldehyde recommended by The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists is 0.05ppm. It is an instantaneous level, which means you cannot exceed it for a single moment. The highest risks occur when pouring fresh HLD into a container (or an automated reprocessor), during disposal, or any time the surface tension is disturbed. The MSDS warnings for both OPA and glutaraldehyde read almost identically, requiring the use of personal protection equipment including mask/glasses, gloves and gowns as well as at least 10 air exchanges or the use of a ductless fume hood or local exhaust.
Automated Reprocessors
HLD’s are typically used in an automated endoscopic reprocessor (AER) or in a manual soaking container. Obviously, open soaking containers pose a greater risk during disposal than an enclosed AER. The latter are plumbed directly into the drain and at the touch of a button the used chemical can be dumped directly into the sewer system without first deactivating it. The drain line from an AER is much like a washing machine drain and is open to atmosphere, so vapor can easily rise up from the drain.
It is a common practice to pour neutralizer directly into an AER prior to disposal. This is an unsafe practice (and is strongly discouraged by the AER manufacturers). Most AER reservoirs do not get rinsed after disposal and residual neutralizer can remain in the reservoir and degrade the fresh HLD. To avoid this problem it is first necessary to pump used disinfectant into a holding tank where it can be deactivated prior to disposal.
The Medi-Newt™ from Medivators is a semi-automated mobile disposal system that allows up to 12 gallons of used OPA or glutaraldehyde to be safely deactivated. A proprietary glycine based powder neutralizer (Neutra-Hyde™) is poured into the tank before the transfer of waste from the AER. After deactivation the inert HLD is safely pumped to drain. Vapor, splashes and spills are eliminated and the sewer system is protected.
Glycine Active Ingredient
To comply with the California disposal regulations, the sole active chemical of neutralizer should be glycine. Sodium bisulfate is another chemical very effective at neutralizing glutaraldehyde and OPA, but it creates a new compound that is toxic. Glycine is effective because it is an amino acid, essentially the building blocks of proteins. Both OPA and glutaraldehyde attack protein, so by adding a sufficient amount of glycine to the used disinfectant, the HLD is quickly overwhelmed and neutralized without creating toxic new compounds. To prove this, the deactivated product is subjected to tough fish toxicity tests.
Glute-Out® Neutralizer
PCI Medical is the manufacturer of Glute-Out® brand neutralizer for OPA and glutaraldehyde. 
Glute-Out® is a glycine-based neutralizer with a proprietary buffer that accelerates the process of neutralization. Both used Cidex 14-day glutaraldehyde and Cidex OPA were independently collected from a Kaiser facility in California, and delivered directly to Aquatic Testing Labs in Ventura, California. Glute-Out® was added according to the label directions. Both the Cidex glutaraldehyde and the Cidex OPA passed the rigorous fish toxicity tests. (Copies of the tests are available upon request). Strict chain of custody was observed that did not involve any PCI personnel.
Philip Coles is president of PCI Medical in Chester, CT. PCI Medical has manufactured over 17,000 GUS® disinfection soak stations for use with OPA and glutaraldehyde. In addition, PCI is the manufacturer of Glute-Out® neutralizer, spill kits, and numerous other high-level disinfection related products.
CHESTER, CT October 27, 2010 – In conjunction with its 15th anniversary, PCI Medical celebrates the sale of its 15,000th GUS® Vapor Control System. The announcement is made by Philip Coles, President of PCI Medical located in Chester, CT. PCI Medical develops and manufactures GUS Vapor Control Systems that protect the healthcare worker from toxic fumes during the disinfection process and protect their delicate instruments.
“By constantly improving performance and reacting to the needs of the healthcare industry, we’ve been able to provide efficient and economic solutions related to the disinfection process,” said Coles. “We’ve responded internally as well, by hiring more employees and moving our headquarters to a larger location in Chester, CT.”
Over the years, PCI Medical has continued to receive recognition for outstanding work, including receiving the Gold Winner of the Connecticut Quality Improvement Award. PCI is also ISO 9001:2008 certified.
PCI Medical has developed a wide range of instrument-specific vapor control systems. The "GUS" is a registered name that PCI created in 1995 to stand for "glutaraldehyde user station." At that time, glutaraldehyde was the most widely used high-level disinfectant for heat- sensitive devices. A few years later, OPA was introduced as another high-level disinfectant and has since replaced glutaraldehyde in many facilities. Today, the GUS Vapor Control System protects healthcare workers from fumes related to OPA, glutaraldehyde, and the newer high-level disinfectants which all require nearly the same safety engineering controls.
PCI Medical is the leader in protecting staff from toxic vapors, preventing damage to instruments and simplifying the disinfection process. To find out more, please visit www.pcimedical.com
For more information about PCI Medical, visit www.pcimedical.com, or call 800-862-3394
Deep River, CT
Feb 27, 2008
PCI medical, the leader in vapor control systems for healthcare facilities, has successfully received certification under ISO Standard 9001:2000.
With this registration, PCI medical joins a select number of companies certified to the ISO 9001:2000 standard for practicing quality management systems. The International Standards Organization, or ISO, is made up of 157 countries and their national standard institutes.
The accreditation was awarded by QMI and was certified for PCI medical's development and manufacture of vapor control systems. The certification verifies that PCI medical complies with a level of quality in its business activities including documentation, product design, process control, product quality, and customer satisfaction.
PCI medical manufactures and distributes the GUS® range of vapor control systems. There are over 6000 healthcare facilities who use the PCI systems in order to protect their staff from toxic vapors, and their instruments from damage.
Deep River, CT
Oct 19, 2007
PCI medical of Deep River, CT is a 2007 Gold winner of the prestigious Connecticut Quality Improvement Award (CQIA) for the development of its EFP250 Endoscope Flushing Pump as a fast, safe and easy solution to replace manual flushing.
Before an endoscope can be disinfected in an automated washing machine it has to be rigorously manually cleaned. A typical colonoscope has three tiny channels that have to be flushed out. The current practice is to manually syringe each of the three channels three times with detergent, rinse water followed by a final air purge. This means pushing a syringe a total of 27 times per scope. With as many as 30 procedures per day, this is time consuming and physically challenging often resulting in carpal tunnel syndrome.
Philip Coles and Bob Tamas designed and developed the EFP250, with Orla Concannon acting as project manager. The EFP250 is a compact microprocessor controlled device that uses two pumps. The EFP250 can automatically flush all three channels of the endoscope simultaneously in 90 seconds by simply the touch of a button. The EFP250 dramatically improves both productivity and cleaning efficacy while eliminating user fatigue and possible health claims.
The EFP250 was launched in January 2007. By the end of October over 1200 units had been shipped across the United States and Canada. Comments from users have included "This has been a life-saver!" and "I don't know why it wasn't invented before!"
PCI medical inc. is the leader in vapor management for high level disinfectants. They manufacture a wide variety of GUS® Ductless Vapor Management Systems that eliminate exposure to glutaraldehyde, formaldehyde, OPA and other chemicals. They also supply the TD-100®, the only automated disinfector for transesophageal ultrasound probes.
Philip Coles, President of PCI Medical accepted the award and said it was an honor for a small company to win the award considering the other winners included such household names such as Carrier Corporation, Pitney Bowers, Pratt & Whitney, Pfizer, and the City of Hartford.