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US | COVID-19 | Stimulus Bill Includes Funds to Speed Disinfectant Reviews
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The United States Congress has set aside $1.5 million in the coronavirus aid package to help the Environmental Protection Agency…
The United States Congress has set aside $1.5 million in the coronavirus aid package to help the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) quickly expand the number of disinfectants that can claim to be effective against the coronavirus. The bill passed Congress and was signed by President Trump on March 27, 2020. These funds are expected to help EPA increase the speed of the reviews.
Disinfectant products are regulated under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). FIFRA requires regulated products to be tested, approved, registered, and properly labeled.
At the end of January 2020, EPA activated the emerging viral pathogen program. This program initiated a streamlined process in which manufacturers of EPA-registered disinfectants could apply for label amendments allowing them to add to disinfectant labels claims that the disinfectants can be used against SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
EPA has been attempting to expedite these reviews and is regularly updating its list of approved products. The list of approved products provides the public and employers with increased guidance on what disinfectants can be used to clean surfaces and other objects potentially exposed to SARS-CoV-2.
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Sources:
Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, H.R. 748, March 27, 2020.____________________
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