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EPA Announces First Two Cleaning Products Approved for Ridding Surfaces of COVID-19

By Johnathan Jones July 7, 2020 at 3:42pm

The Environmental Protection Agency has announced that two common disinfectants have been tested and approved to kill the coronavirus on surfaces.

The agency announced Monday that Lysol Disinfectant Spray and Lysol Disinfectant Max Cover Mist were both given approval last week.

“Throughout the COVID-19 public health emergency, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has worked to provide the American public with information about how to safely and effectively kill the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, on surfaces,” the agency said in a news release.

The products were approved “based on laboratory testing that shows the products are effective against SARS-CoV-2,” the release said.

EPA approves first surface disinfectant products tested on the SARS-CoV-2 virus: https://t.co/DnhZwXJHOf

— U.S. EPA (@EPA) July 6, 2020

“EPA is committed to identifying new tools and providing accurate and up-to-date information to help the American public protect themselves and their families from the novel coronavirus,” EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said in a statement.

“EPA’s review of products tested against this virus marks an important milestone in President Trump’s all of government approach to fighting the spread of COVID-19,” Wheeler added.

The EPA said it expects to approve other products in the coming weeks.

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Lysol celebrated the news in a media release of its own, saying its Lysol Disinfectant Spray “was found to kill the virus at 2 minutes of use.”

“The EPA’s approval recognizes that using Lysol Disinfectant Spray can help to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on hard, non-porous surfaces,” the company said.

“In the face of the pandemic, Lysol continues to work with a wide range of scientific and health experts to educate the public on the importance of hygiene.”

The company added that it is currently testing more of its products to asses their efficacy in eliminating the coronavirus from surfaces.

The EPA also released new guidelines this week about electrostatic spraying for cleaning large areas.

The newly released guidance outlines what information registrants need to submit in order to expedite the review of requests to add electrostatic sprayer application directions to disinfectant product labels for use against SARS-CoV-2 #Coronavirus https://t.co/O6uUvgTb7Q pic.twitter.com/ELzI8w94kA

— U.S. EPA (@EPA) July 7, 2020

“Electrostatic spraying has drawn increased interest through the public health emergency because of the need to disinfect large indoor spaces (e.g., schools, offices, businesses) or areas with many surfaces,” the agency said on its website.

“Unlike conventional spraying methods, electrostatic sprayers apply a positive charge to liquid disinfectants as they pass through the nozzle. The positively charged disinfectant is attracted to negatively charged surfaces, which allows for efficient coating of hard nonporous surfaces,” the EPA added

The EPA, in a partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, released a comprehensive cleaning and disinfecting decision tool, which is also available on the agency’s website.

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