Tag Archive for: Disinfectant

Introduction

In our last post, we presented an infographic briefly detailing how long the Coronavirus could live on various surfaces: metal, glass, plastic, etc. In this post we’ll talk about what commercial disinfectants are available that can kill the Coronavirus on non-porous surfaces. As of April 16, a total of 374 commercially available surface disinfectants have been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use against the SARS-CoV-2 virus¹. The majority of these products are certified for healthcare, institutional, and residential use. These chemicals fall under the category of pesticides and are regulated by EPA as part of the so-called “List N” products. Hand sanitizers, antiseptic washes and antibacterial soaps are not regulated by the EPA and instead fall under the purview of the the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Surface disinfectants should NEVER be applied to your skin or ingested.

Unless otherwise noted the following applies to all surface disinfectants listed in this article:

1. Each Disinfectant has an EPA registration number and is approved for use against SARS-CoV-2.
2. Each Disinfectant has an “emerging viral pathological claim,” meaning each disinfectant is effective against “harder-to-kill” viruses than just human coronavirus.
3. Disinfectants can be used for healthcare and institutional sites.
4. Disinfectants can be used on all hard, non-porous surfaces such as stainless steel, countertops, handles, fixtures, glass, plastic, etc.
5. Disinfectants have been approved by the EPA as of April 16, 2020.

Terminology

• Contact Time: The maximum amount of time in minutes that it will take the disinfectant to kill the virus. Some products may take as long as ten minutes to be effective, whereas others, such as Dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid products are extremely fast-acting and can kill the virus in less than half a minute.
• Use Site (Indicates where the disinfectant can be used):
  • Healthcare: Hospitals, dental offices, nursing facilities
  • Institutional: Schools, office buildings, big-box stores, grocery stores, restaurants
  • Residential: Homes
• Formulation Type:
  • RTU: Product is “Ready-to-Use”. Disinfecting wipes fall into this category. Liquid products may be diluted according to manufacturer instructions.
  • Dilutable: Product may be used at full strength or diluted according to manufacturer instructions.
• Active Ingredient: Hydrogen peroxide, Quaternary ammonium, Sodium Hypochlorite, etc.
• Emerging Viral Pathogen Claim: Is the disinfectant effective against a harder-to-kill virus than human coronavirus? All products listed in this article qualify as effective against emerging viral pathogens.
• Effective Against:  Those harder-to-kill viruses that the product is effective against, other than human coronavirus.

EPA SARS-CoV-2 Disinfectant Certification Procedures

You may have noticed that many companies already have a bevy of powerful disinfectants on the market, almost all of which are classified as effective against harder-to-kill viruses than Coronavirus. But, nevertheless, they all still need to be recertified against SARS-CoV-2 protocols. Here is how that works. A disinfectant is submitted to the CDC via disinfectantslist@epa.gov. It is then tested. EPA expects the surface disinfectant to kill the virus if it meets the following criteria:

• Demonstrates efficacy (e.g. effectiveness) against Coronavirus, or a harder-to-kill virus
• Demonstrates efficacy against another type of human coronavirus similar to SARS-CoV-2
• Surface disinfectant can be used to kill like viruses on non-porous surfaces such as metal, glass, plastic, counters, fixtures, doorknobs, etc.

Each surface disinfectant product on List N has either been tested specifically against SARS-CoV-2 or a more robust facsimile, i.e., a harder to kill virus. If the disinfectant is approved, the product will be added to the list during the next EPA update. Because SARS-CoV-2 is a new virus, this pathogen is not  readily available for use in commercial laboratory testing to see if a certain disinfectant product is effective at killing the virus. This is a novel virus, meaning the scientific community has not seen this before. That’s why there are no certifications prior to March, 2020, hence why all the certifications on the EPA List N are dated post March 1, 2020.

Newly Approved List N Disinfectants For April 2020

The following is an abridged list of newly approved List N disinfectants for use against SARS-CoV-2 which were approved during the month of April, 2020. Click here for a complete list of EPA approved SARS-CoV-2 surface disinfectants².

Notice any ordinary household products in the list below – like Windex – something just about every household has under the sink.

Active Ingredient(s)	Product Name	Company	Effective Against	Contact Time (minutes)	Formulation Type
Hydrogen peroxide	B-Cap™ 35 Antimicrobial Agent	PeroxyChem LLC	Use this product for sterilization as instructed in the Bioquell Hydrogen Peroxide Vapor (HPV) User’s Equipment Manual	Consult user manual	Vapor (use in conjunction with VHP generator)
Sodium hypochlorite	XHC-E	Ecolab Inc	Poliovirus	5	RTU
Hydrogen peroxide	Angel	Reckitt Benckiser LLC	Rotavirus; Rhinovirus	10	RTU
Sodium hypochlorite	Tulmult	Spartan Chemical Company Inc	Feline calicivirus; Norovirus	0.5	RTU
Quaternary ammonium	Claire Disinfectant Bathroom Cleaner	Claire Manufacturing Company	Adenovirus	10	RTU
Quaternary ammonium; Ethanol	Opti-cide Max	Micro-Scientific LLC	Rotavirus	1	RTU
Quaternary ammonium	SC-RTU-TB	Stepan Company	Rhinovirus	3	RTU
Quarternary ammonium	Valhalla	S.C. Johnson & Son Inc	Rotavirus	5	RTU
Quaternary ammonium	Envy Foaming Disinfectant Cleaner	Diversey Inc	Poliovirus	3	Dilutable
Hydrogen peroxide	D7 Part 2	Decon7 Systems LLC	Norovirus	10	Dilutable
Sodium hypochlorite	CSP-3002-3	The Proctor & Gamble Company	Norovirus; Poliovirus	1	Dilutable
Quaternary ammonium	Malibu Concentrate	The Proctor & Gamble Company	Feline calicivirus; Norovirus	10	Dilutable
Quaternary ammonium	SC-NDC-128	Stepan Company	Rotavirus	5	Dilutable
Quaternary ammonium	SC-5:64N	Stepan Company	Simian rotavirus	5	Dilutable
Quaternary ammonium	BARDAC 205M-50	Lonza LLC	Norovirus	10	Dilutable
Quaternary ammonium	SC-AHD-256	Stepan Company	Feline calicivirus; Norovirus	5	Dilutable
Quarternary ammonium; Isopropanol	Opti-Cide 3® Wipes	Micro-Scientific LLC	Rotavirus; Rhinovirus	3	Wipe
Hydrogen peroxide	Vaprox Hydrogen Peroxide Sterilant	Steris Corporation	Use this product for sterilization as instructed in the Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide (VHP®) User’s Equipment Manual	Consult user manual	Vapor (use in conjunction with VHP generator)
Citric acid	Cleancide	Wexford Labs Inc	Feline calicivirus	5	RTU
Hydrogen peroxide; Peroxyacetic Acid	Peridox RTU ™	Contec Inc	Feline calicivirus	2	RTU
Dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid; Lactic acid	CW32A-RTU	Ecolab Inc	Norovirus	0.5	RTU
Chlorine dioxide; Quaternary ammonium	SNiPER	Global Environmental Restoration Inc	Canine parvovirus	10	RTU
L-Lactic Acid	Windex Disinfectant Cleaner	S.C. Johnson & Son Inc	Rhinovirus	5	RTU
Hydrogen peroxide	MDF-200 Part B	Span-World LLC	Feline calicivirus	10	Dilutable
Quarternary ammonium	MDF-200 Part A	Span-World LLC	Feline calicivirus	10	Dilutable
Chlorine dioxide	Oxine	Bio-Cide International Inc	Canine parvovirus	10	Dilutable
Chlorine dioxide	Anthium Dioxcide	International Dioxcide Inc	Canine parvovirus	15	Dilutable
Peroxyacetic acid; Hydrogen peroxide	Peraside A Peroxyacetic Acid-Based Sanitizer/Disinfectant	Preserve International	Murine norovirus	2	Dilutable
Dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid; Lactic acid	S&S Sanitizer	Ecolab Inc	Norovirus	0.5	Dilutable
Sodium hypochlorite	Sodium Hypochlorite 8.25%	Hasa Inc	Rhinovirus	5	Dilutable
Citric acid	Comet Disinfecting Bathroom Cleaner	The Proctor & Gamble Company	Feline calicivirus; Norovirus	10	Dilutable
Potassium peroxymonosulfate; Sodium choride	Rely+On Multipurpose Disinfectant Cleaner	Lanxess Corporation	Hepatitis A virus; Feline calicivirus	10	Dilutable
Quaternary ammonium	SC-5:128HN	Stepan Company	Rotavirus; Feline calicivirus	5	Dilutable
Quaternary ammonium	BTC 2125 M 10% Solution	Stepan Company	Adenovirus	10	Dilutable
Quaternary ammonium	BTC 885 NDC-128	Stepan Company	Rotavirus	10	Dilutable
Citric acid; Thymol	SBT 2 to 1 Concentrate	Melaleuca Inc	Rhinovirus, Poliovirus	10	Dilutable
Quaternary ammonium; Isopropanol; Ethanol	Panther Disinfectant	Maxill Inc	Adenovirus; Feline calicivirus	3	RTU
Thymol	Benefect Botanical Daily Cleaner Disinfectant Spray	Cleanwell LLC	Rhinovirus	10	RTU
Hydrogen peroxide	Proxi Home General Disinfectant Cleaner Spray	Innovasource LLC	Rhinovirus	10	RTU
Quaternary ammonium; Ethanol	Champion Sprayon Spray Disinfectant Formula 3	Chase Products Co	Rhinovirus	10	RTU
L-Lactic Acid	Sani-Cide EX3 (10X) RTU	Celeste Industries Corp	Feline calicivirus	10	RTU
Quaternary ammonium	SC-5:128N	Stepan Company	Rotavirus	5	Dilutable
Quaternary ammonium	QGC	Prorestore Products	Feline calicivirus	10	Dilutable
Quaternary ammonium; Glutaraldehyde	Synergize	Preserve International	Feline calicivirus	10	Dilutable

Despite it’s devastating impact on society, SARS-CoV-2 is actually a pretty sensitive virus and is not that hard to kill. Just about any household disinfectant will do the job. For fruits and vegetables you can use plain old soap and warm water, or even cold water will get the job done. Food is not the primary vector of transmission but it always pays to play it safe. See the following video by Dr. Sanjay Gupta on how to clean produce and staples when you bring them home from the grocery store.

Notes

1. SARS-CoV-2 is the name of the virus. COVID-19 is the name of the disease.

2. EPA Website: https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2

3. Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide is for institutional use only.