Sure, you’ve got a product that says “kills germs” under your sink, but will it really destroy the new coronavirus on surfaces? Turns out that if you’re using a disinfectant like a regular cleaner, you might not actually be disinfecting at all. To make sure you’re destroying 99.9% of viruses and bacteria, doing these three things is critical.
And one quick note on EPA registration numbers: make sure to look for “EPA Reg No.” as there can sometimes be another EPA number on there as well. Then, enter the first two sections of the number into List N to find the product. (If you enter the third part, the search won’t work properly.) Some products only list the first two parts. Yeah, it’s confusing.
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Credits:
Executive Producers:
George Zaidan
Hilary Hudson
Producers:
Andrew Sobey
Elaine Seward
Writer/Host:
George Zaidan
Samantha Jones, PhD
Scientific consultants:
Environmental Protection Agency
Palli Thordarson, PhD
Brianne Raccor, PhD
Michelle Boucher, PhD
Sources:
CDC practical guidelines on how to clean/disinfect your home
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/disinfecting-your-home.html
The Law
https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/40/158.2203
How do we know the products on list N will kill SARS-CoV-2
https://www.epa.gov/coronavirus/how-does-epa-know-products-list-n-work-sars-cov-2
EPA regulations
https://www.epa.gov/test-guidelines-pesticides-and-toxic-substances/series-810-product-performance-test-guidelines
EPA summary
https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/what-are-antimicrobial-pesticides
Sterilex interpretation of EPA guidelines
https://www.sterilex.com/interpreting-an-epa-label-sanitizer-vs-disinfectant/
C&EN
https://cen.acs.org/safety/consumer-safety/chemists-guide-disinfectants/98/web/2020/05
EPA List N
https://cfpub.epa.gov/giwiz/disinfectants/index.cfm
CDC influenza guidelines
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/school/cleaning.htm
Don’t mix household cleaners
https://cen.acs.org/safety/consumer-safety/Accidental-mix-bleach-acid-kills/97/i45
C&EN how do we know disinfectants kill coronavirus
https://cen.acs.org/biological-chemistry/infectious-disease/How-we-know-disinfectants-should-kill-the-COVID-19-coronavirus/98/web/2020/03
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