sterility assurance level (SAL)

Sterility Assurance Level (SAL) is a measure used to express the probability that a sterilized product remains non-sterile after processing. It reflects how effectively a sterilization method kills or inactivates harmful microorganisms. For example, an SAL of 10^-6 means there is a one in a million chance that a product is not sterile. This standard helps ensure that medical devices and pharmaceuticals are reliably safe for use, reducing infection risks. In short, SAL quantifies the confidence level that items are free of viable microbes after sterilization.