The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler hosted a series of conference calls with large and small disinfectant manufacturers, including members of the Consumer Brands Association (CBA) and the Household & Commercial Products Association (HCPA). On the calls they discussed the agency鈥檚 expanded and expedited work in response to the outbreak under the Emerging Viral Pathogens Guidance for Antimicrobial Pesticides.
鈥淭oday鈥檚 calls were extremely productive and demonstrate the importance of public and private sector collaboration, not only in times of great stress, but every day,鈥� said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. 鈥淥ur collaboration is critical to slowing the spread of this virus, keeping us safe and healthy. By expediting reviews 鈥� both in labeling familiar products, and by approving new products for market 鈥� we鈥檙e aiding American families and communities across America.鈥�
鈥淲e appreciate all that Administrator Wheeler and the EPA are doing to help our industry keep manufacturing life-saving products,鈥� said Consumer Brands Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman. 鈥淔rom disinfectants to hand sanitizers and soap, our companies are doing their best to operate at full capacity. We commend the EPA for its commitment to preventing supply chain disruptions and getting these products in the hands of Americans when they need them most.鈥�
鈥淜nowing that you are using the most effective products is critically important when you are trying to protect your family,鈥� said Household and Commercial Products Association President and CEO Steve Caldeira. 鈥淲e encourage everyone to check the product against EPA鈥檚 list by finding the registration number on the product label. Read the label, follow the directions and pay attention to how long the product should stay on the surface you鈥檙e cleaning. HCPA applauds EPA for working so hard to provide聽consumers and manufacturers an expeditious and transparent means to identify effective products to mitigate this challenging public health crisis.鈥�
In 2016, EPA established a process for adding emerging viral pathogen claims to EPA-registered disinfectant products to accelerate the availability of products when a public health crisis is declared.
Under the emerging viral pathogen program, EPA has expedited the review of submissions from companies requesting to add emerging viral pathogen claims to their already registered surface disinfectant labels. In many cases, the agency has been able to approve claims within 14 days, as resources allow, compared to the 90-day window these claims typically take.
As part of the agency鈥檚 expedited efforts, EPA added new products to List N, including products that went through the expedited review process for emerging viral pathogens. The total number of products on the list is now approaching 300.