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Sterilization, which is any process, physical or chemical, that destroys all forms of life, is used especially to destroy microorganisms, spores, and viruses. Precisely defined, sterilization is the complete destruction of all microorganisms by a suitable chemical agent or by heat, either wet steam under pressure at 120 °C (250 °F) or more for at least 15 minutes, or dry heat at 160 to 180 °C (320 to 360 °F) for three hours. A sanitizer is an agent, usually chemical in nature, that is used to reduce the number of microorganisms to a level that has been officially approved as ...(100 of 1803 words)