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The Next Step of Disinfectant Wipes

2020-09-16
Disinfectant wipes continue to be a hot selling after several months into the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite limits on the number of disinfectant wipes consumers can buy, as well as an aggressive ramping up of capacity by nonwoven wipes producers, product shortages remain.

It’s been widely reported that Clorox doesn’t expect store shelves to be fully stocked with its disinfecting wipes until 2021. CEO Benno Dorer told Reuters last month that the company has been unable to keep up with a six-fold surge in demand for many of its disinfectant products.

As nonwoven wipes makers continue to tackle this challenge and work around the clock to meet unprecedented demand, they’re also seeking SARS-CoV-2 EPA label claim approval to verify that the virus is being inactivated on surfaces.

On March 5, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a list of EPA-registered disinfectant products that have qualified for use against SARS-CoV-2. Products appearing on EPA’s list of registered disinfectant products, called “List N: Disinfectants for Use Against SARS-CoV-2,” have qualified for use against Covid-19 through the agency’s Emerging Viral Pathogen program. This program, according to EPA, allows product manufacturers to provide EPA with data, even in advance of an outbreak, that shows their products are effective against harder-to-kill viruses than SARS-CoV-2. It also allows additional communications intended to inform the public about the utility of these products against the emerging pathogen in the most expeditious manner.

According to EPA, disinfectants can qualify for inclusion on List N in three ways: The product has been tested against the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19); the product has demonstrated efficacy against a different coronavirus similar to SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19); and the product has demonstrated efficacy against a pathogen that is harder to kill than SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19).

As of the printing of this issue, the EPA announced that 15 products on List N have completed laboratory testing for use specifically against SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes Covid-19. The specific products approved include three Lysol products from Reckitt Benckiser and 12 unique products from the manufacturer Lonza. While these products were already on List N, the EPA says they now carry additional weight against the virus that causes Covid-19 based on testing performed by the manufacturer and confirmed by EPA.