Whether you are dealing with post-construction sanitation, concerns about a challenging microbial situation, updates to the hygienic design of your facility, or a clean break from a problematic microbial problem, IFC services offer the most effective solution for any type of microbial challenge.

IFC provides full-service chlorine dioxide services that are quick and effective:

• Eliminates microbial life within the treatment area, including equipment, floors, drains, and critical piping
• Completely destroys biofilms
• Safe on metal, electronics, rubbers, and plastics
• No post-treatment cleaning required and no residue
• Complete services including sealing of the treatment area, efficient gas delivery (typically within 8 hours), and cleanup, leaving your facility ready to immediately resume operations
• Can be scaled to any size application, from a few hundred cubic feet (cft) up to several million cft.

IFC provides comprehensive chlorine dioxide services for areas where specific problems exist. Chlorine dioxide works by penetrating the cell wall of microorganisms and disrupting metabolic functions, thus immediately and permanently eliminating the problem at its source. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered chlorine dioxide as a sterilant in 1988, and chlorine dioxide gas is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for use in food processing facilities.

Advantages of using chlorine dioxide include:

• No capital investment.
• Completely destroys all microbial life including all bacteria, mold, and all other microorganisms.
• No residue, so no post-treatment cleaning required; immediate return to operations.
• Non-corrosive as applied.

Chlorine dioxide can be applied to targeted areas:

• Spiral freezers.
• Individual pieces of equipment and piping (Figure 1).
• Production areas.
• Floors and drains.
• Entire facilities.

Complete service delivery includes:

• Sealing of the treatment area to maintain gas concentrations.
• Gas concentration monitoring inside the treatment area ensures that correct gas concentrations are achieved throughout the application process.
• Use of 6-log biological indicators for chlorine dioxide gas decontamination located in the treatment area and incubated post-treatment to provide verification of a complete decontamination.
• Scientifically validated report includes hourly concentrations and final dosage, temperature, and relative humidity, along with results of biological indicator incubation.

Continual monitoring is applied throughout the treatment process:

• Calibrated concentration monitoring inside the treatment area ensures correct gas concentrations are achieved throughout the application process.
• Routine perimeter monitoring to confirm elimination of gas leakage to non-treatment areas.
• Final gas concentration readings to confirm safe reentry.

Successful treatment is validated:

• 6-log biological indicators confirm a sterilized environment.