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US 4,050,576 AGranted
Polymeric sterilant assembly
AssigneeBecton, Dickinson and Company
InventorsJoel L. Williams, Jerry J. Tulis, Larry A. Taylor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Sterilant package including a polyacetal, which contains oxymethylene groups and stabilizing groups therefor, such as oxyethylene groups, which has been irradiated to effect chain cleavage, without depolymerization, whereby upon subsequent heating, the polyacetal is depolymerized with increased release of formaldehyde sterilizing gas.
Claims13
An article of manufacture, comprising:
- a sterilant package, said sterilant package including in the interior of such package a polyacetal containing oxymethylene groups and stabilizing groups linked to the oxymethylene groups to prevent chain cleavage, said polyacetal having been subjected to high energy irradiation, prior to subjecting said package to heat sterilization, in a dose of from 0.01 to 400 megarads sufficient to effect chain cleavage without depolymerization to increase formaldehyde release upon subsequent heating of the package.
In a process for producing a sterilant package including an article to be sterilized, the improvement comprising:
- including in the interior of the sterilant package a polyacetal containing oxymethylene groups and stabilizing groups linked to the oxymethylene groups to prevent chain cleavage, said polyacetal having been subjected to high energy irradiation, prior to subjecting said package to heat sterilization, in a dose of from 0.01 to 400 megarads sufficient to effect chain cleavage without depolymerization to increase formaldehyde release upon subsequent heating of the package.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.