Support safer sterile processing with routine Utility Water, Critical Water, and steam-quality testing aligned with ANSI/AAMI ST108 guidelines.
I-2-I Solutions offers comprehensive Critical and Utility Water Testing, trusted by federal agencies, healthcare facilities, and mission-critical environments.
Water is used throughout the cleaning, rinsing, disinfection, and sterilization of reusable medical devices. Its quality can affect cleaning effectiveness, instrument condition, equipment performance, microbial control, and the reliability of sterile processing operations.
ANSI/AAMI ST108 provides a framework for managing the quality of water and steam used to process reusable medical devices. It identifies three principal water categories:
Utility Water is generally used for flushing, washing, and initial cleaning. Routine monitoring can help identify conditions that contribute to scaling, corrosion, staining, ineffective cleaning, microbial growth, or damage to processing equipment.
Critical Water is treated water used for applications requiring a higher level of quality, including final rinsing and certain reprocessing activities. Chemical purity, microbial quality, and endotoxin control are important because this water may contact devices during the final stages of processing.
Steam used for sterilization can carry contaminants from the water supply or steam-generation system. Monitoring helps facilities identify conditions that may contribute to staining, deposits, corrosion, wet packs, equipment problems, or inconsistent sterilization performance.
Water quality can change even when the treatment system appears to be operating normally. Filters and treatment components age, maintenance activities affect system conditions, biofilm can develop, and changes in the incoming water supply may influence system performance.
Routine testing gives sterile processing and facility teams the information needed to:
One acceptable result only reflects conditions at a particular place and time. An effective monitoring program uses routine measurements, laboratory results, and trend reviews to demonstrate that water quality remains controlled over time.
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Testing schedules should reflect the water category, intended use, treatment-system design, equipment manufacturer instructions, historical performance, and your facility’s risk assessment.
Scheduled field measurements and laboratory testing used to verify ongoing system performance and identify developing trends.
Testing performed when qualifying a new or substantially modified water treatment or distribution system.
Verification following filter changes, membrane replacement, system disinfection, repairs, or other work that may affect water quality.
Follow-up testing used to investigate the condition, evaluate corrective action, and verify that acceptable water quality has been restored.
Targeted testing to help investigate staining, scaling, corrosion, unusual residues, wet packs, elevated microbial results, or changes in equipment performance.
We review your sterile processing applications, water-treatment system, sampling locations, existing results, and monitoring requirements. From there, we help establish a testing approach appropriate for your Utility Water, Critical Water, and Steam systems.
Our team can collect samples, document site conditions, measure time-sensitive field parameters such as pH, temperature, and conductivity, and coordinate chemical and microbiological laboratory analysis.
You receive organized, quality-reviewed results supported by clear sampling documentation and chain-of-custody records. We help your team understand findings, recognize trends, and identify results that may require investigation or corrective action.
Critical and Utility Water Testing can be tailored to your intended application, your facility’s monitoring plan, and applicable ANSI/AAMI ST108 guidance.
AAMI Panel
+ Ionic Contaminants
pH, Conductivity, Total hardness, Chloride, Iron, Copper, Silica, Alkalinity, Total dissolved solids, Free chlorine, Total chlorine or chloramine.
These parameters can help identify scaling potential, corrosion risk, treatment-system performance, chemical carryover, disinfectant conditions, and changes in the incoming water supply.
Total Organic Carbon testing measures organic contamination that may remain in treated water. Elevated results may indicate inadequate treatment, contamination within the system, or a change in treatment-system performance.
Heterotrophic Plate Count testing estimates the concentration of culturable heterotrophic bacteria in a water sample. Routine HPC monitoring can help identify changes in microbial conditions and support evaluation of treatment and distribution-system control.
Limulus Amebocyte Lysate testing or Endotoxin testing detects bacterial endotoxins associated with gram-negative bacteria. Endotoxin monitoring is an important part of evaluating Critical Water used in higher-risk device-processing applications.
Reliable testing begins with appropriate sampling locations and collection practices. Depending on the facility and system design, sampling may include:
Sampling from both generation points and representative points of use can help distinguish treatment-system performance from conditions developing within storage or distribution components.
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We coordinate the process from sampling planning and field measurements through laboratory analysis, reporting, and recurring monitoring.
Our laboratory quality systems and established analytical methods support accurate, traceable, and defensible results.
Time-sensitive parameters are measured on-site, with chemical and microbiological testing completed in the laboratory.
Results are organized in AquaIRIS so all stakeholders can review findings and determine what happens next.
“I-2-I Solutions has been a responsive and flexible partner for our federal government Legionella testing needs. Their team understands that client requirements can change quickly, especially during emergencies, and has readily adapted to support our business. As a fellow Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, I appreciate their commitment to service and the working relationship we’ve built.”
“It has been a pleasure to work with I-2-I Solutions. Their entire team is first class. They get us our lab results in a timely manner, but more importantly, their customer service is second to none. They answer every phone call, every email, and every text, and they are on-top of every detail of the lab analyses. I highly recommend I-2-I Solutions for all of your lab tests - you will not be disappointed.”
“I have had a great experience working with I-2-I Solutions. Their lab performs the testing my customer needs at a cost saving for both of us. Their sampling and shipping supplies are top-notch. Shipping is super fast and test reports are thorough.”
Let’s build a testing approach around your facility and sterile processing operations.
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