SAL
Also written as: SAL — Sterility Assurance Level
Sterility Assurance Level - the probability of a viable microorganism being present on a product after sterilization.
Full Definition
Sterility Assurance Level (SAL) is expressed as a negative logarithm and represents the probability that a single viable microorganism occurs on an item after sterilization. The standard SAL for surgical instruments is 10⁻⁶, meaning there is less than one chance in a million that a viable organism remains. SAL is fundamental to sterilization validation and is used to determine minimum sterilization conditions. It provides a quantitative measure of sterility confidence rather than absolute sterility.
Usage
Usage note: Always use all capitals when abbreviated. Express as negative logarithm (e.g., 10⁻⁶, not 0.000001).
In Context
- "The sterilization process must achieve a SAL of 10⁻⁶ for all critical surgical instruments." — Regulatory compliance document
- "Validation studies confirmed the cycle parameters deliver the required SAL under worst-case conditions." — Process validation report