What Exactly is ‘Clean?’
By strict definition, “clean” is the absence of unwanted matter. That said, the scope of work ultimately defines what it means. As quality expert W. Edwards Deming illustrated, cleaning a restaurant table differs from cleaning an operating room (OR) table; so “clean” depends on the system’s aim.
Because we promote the Bioload Exposure Metric Index (BEMI) as a proxy for overall surface contamination (not including specific pathogens), the “cleaning” aim is to reduce adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels.
While ATP devices commonly measure a single energy molecule (ATP), newer technology measures 3 molecules: ATP, ADP (adenosine diphosphate), and AMP (adenosine monophosphate), providing a broader, more precise assessment of organic contamination.
This is helpful because ATP breaks down quickly over time or when exposed to certain environments, transforming into ADP and AMP.
