by Autumn Ryan, Founder & CEO of Aseptic Health
This DisinfecTip is straight off the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) website, hopefully paraphrased so that it’s easier for you to understand. The trail to being an N Listed disinfectant and receiving the Emerging Viral Pathogen claim is a lengthy process.
We’ve been on this path for months. First, we made the “N List”because we had kill claims for viruses that are more difficult to kill than the coronavirus that causes Covid 19. As of March 10, 2021, Aseptic Plus (the premiere hospital-grade disinfectant that has been Certified Clinically Clean® by Aseptic Health) has received the EPA’s Emerging Viral Pathogen claim.
Aseptic Plus kills SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in 5 minutes.
We received this kill claim in December, 2020 from an EPA accredited lab.
Why So Long?
You may wonder why it took so long for the EPA to stamp our claim.
Since the novel coronavirus appeared in 2019 many manufacturers of disinfecting products have been formulating and reformulating products to meet the emerging viral pathogen for large and small enveloped and non-enveloped viruses. (More about the different viruses to follow.)
The truth is, the EPA is inundated with manufacturer’s claims, and that’s not all the agency is responsible for. With floods, storms and the pandemic under their purview, they’ve been busy. It can take up to 90 days to receive approval, although they have tried to fast-track claims associated with Covid 19. Our claim was stamped right around the 90-day mark.
What Are Emerging Viral Pathogen Claims?
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases defines “emerging infectious diseases/pathogens” as those “that have newly appeared in a population or have existed but are rapidly increasing in incidence or geographic range.”
Many of these diseases are viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2.
Emerging pathogens are not all common or predictable. Few disinfectants on store shelves that are EPA-registered product labels specify use against this category of infectious agents. Why? Testing is expensive and manufacturer’s would rather pay for testing commonly known pathogens.
In 2016, the EPA provided a voluntary, two-stage process to enable use of certain EPA-registered disinfectant products against emerging viral pathogens not identified on the product label.
A manufacturer can even apply for an emerging viral pathogen claim before an outbreak occurs, based on previous EPA-approved claims for harder-to-kill viruses.
That is how Aseptic Plus achieved its listing on the EPA List N not long after the pandemic was declared. It was expected to kill SARS-CoV-2 (a large enveloped virus) because it kills pathogens that are even harder to kill such as HIV, Hep A, B and C and others. In addition, Aseptic Plus had the canine coronavirus and feline coronavirus kill claims on our product label prior to the outbreak.
In Review
Once the emerging pathogen is tested and killed—in this case SARS-CoV-2 is a relatively easy virus to kill—the EPA reviews the supporting information to determine acceptability.
Aseptic Plus was accepted for use against:
- An enveloped virus (easier to kill). These viruses are the least resistant to inactivation by disinfectants. Their structure includes a lipid envelope which is easily compromised by most disinfectants. Once the lipid envelope is damaged, the integrity of the virus is compromised, thereby neutralizing its infectivity.
- A large, non-enveloped virus (harder to kill than an enveloped virus) such as Norovirus (stomach flu). These viruses are less resistant to inactivation than small non-enveloped viruses. Although they have a resistant protein capsid, their larger size makes them more vulnerable to inactivation than a small non-enveloped virus. Our kill time for this group is 10 minutes.
- A small, non-enveloped virus (hardest to kill). An example of this virus is Adenovirus, a truly nasty virus that can cause pink eye, diarrhea, sore throat, cough and fever. Small, non-enveloped viruses can be highly resistant to inactivation by disinfectants. Despite the lack of a lipid envelope, these organisms have a very resistant protein capsid. Our kill time for this group is 10 minutes.
EPA Lists
All EPA-registered pesticides—a disinfectant is a pesticide—must have an EPA registration number. This number consists of a company number and a product number (e.g., 82972-1). Alternative brand names, such as Aseptic Plus, have the same EPA registration number as the primary product followed by additional numbers: 82972-1-91603. The primary product number is what appears on the list.
- When purchasing a product for use against a specific pathogen, check the EPA registration number versus the products included on the list.
- If you would like to review the product label information for any EPA registered product, please visit the EPA product label system.
- Inclusion on any list does not constitute an endorsement by EPA.
Aseptic Plus is included on the following EPA Lists:
List C: EPA’s Registered Antimicrobial Products Effective Against Human HIV-1 Virus
List D: EPA’s Registered Antimicrobial Products Effective Against Human HIV-1 and Hepatitis B Virus
List F: EPA’s Registered Antimicrobial Products Effective Against Hepatitis C
List G: EPA’s Registered Antimicrobial Products Effective Against Norovirus
List N: Disinfectants for Use Against SARS-CoV-2
