Dear Lactnet,
    When I was in dental hygiene school in the 70's we "wiped down" our
handpieces and suctions with gauze soaked in Iodine if a patient had a hx of
Hepatitis B!
     When I worked in offices we only autoclaved forceps and root tip picks.
We soaked in "cold solution" the little rubber cups we clean your teeth with
and the burs we drilled with.  Scary, huh?
     I had to laugh at Barbara Wilson Clay's mention of scheduling dental
appts. first thing in the morning when instruments are freshly autoclaved. I
do too.
     My point:  I remember (vaguely, this was the 70's!) that the Hepatitis B
organism was "alive" in dried secretions for up to SEVEN years.  That has
always driven me to be extremely careful then, and now as an LC.
    Any of our lab people/LCs know the shelf life of Hep. B along with other
pathogens?  The used pump thread has piqued my interest.

Jan Ellen Brown RDH IBCLC
Charlotte, NC USA

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