How reliable are ATP bioluminescence meters in assessing decontamination of environmental surfaces in healthcare settings?

Background: Meters based on adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence measurements in relative light units (RLU) are often used to rapidly assess the level of cleanliness of environmental surfaces in healthcare and other settings. Can such ATP measurements be adversely affected by factors such as soil and cleaner-disinfectant chemistry?

Objective: This study tested a number of leading ATP meters for their sensitivity, linearity of the measurements, correlation of the readings to the actual microbial contamination, and the potential disinfectant chemicals' interference in their readings.

Methods: First, solutions of pure ATP in various concentrations were used to construct a standard curve and determine linearity and sensitivity.