A comparative study of ethylene oxide and ionizing radiation for sterilizing bone grafts

To find a good way for sterilization and disinfection of bone grafts, we compared the sterilization capacity of gaseous ethylene oxide (EO) and cobalt-60 gamma radiation. The bone chips were contaminated with 10(7) bacteria per milliliter of Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Bacillus subtilis globigii 8017 and Bacillus cereus 4001, then sterilized with various doses of gaseous EO or cobalt- 60 gamma radiation. The sterilization effect of EO was more stronger and faster than that of 60Co gamma radiation. The application of moderate doses of EO for sterilizing particulate bone grafts was recommended.