EPA explores pilot for disinfectants and sanitizers

WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will conduct an internal pilot in conjunction with the Agency’s Design for the Environment program (DfE) to further explore a policy change that would allow claims of environmental preferability to non-porous hard surface disinfectants and sanitizers, according to a press release.

The purpose of the internal pilot is to increase the understanding between EPA’s DfE scientists and the pesticide registration review staff as to what a review for environmental preferability entails and how that might interface with the pesticide registration process; by law, disinfectants are regulated as pesticides, the release stated.

Stephen Ashkin, president of The Ashkin Group, said: "The internal pilot announced by EPA is a prudent and necessary step in developing a green claims policy that ensures both the continued efficacy of disinfectants, and which allows purchasers to make informed decisions when selecting products with a preferred environmental, safety and health profile."

Under the internal pilot, both DfE and Office of Pesticide Program (OPP) staff will conduct concurrent evaluations of products previously recognized under the DfE program which mimic antimicrobial pesticide formulations, the release noted.

EPA also decided to evaluate a parallel approach by which factual claims could be made about a product’s green attributes, the release added.