“EPA is committed to identifying new tools and providing accurate and up-to-date information to help the American public protect themselves and their families from the novel coronavirus,” EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler said in a public statement. “EPA’s review of products tested against this virus marks an important milestone in President Trump’s all of government approach to fighting the spread of COVID-19.” The EPA initially released List N in early March, which has now grown into a compilation of more than 420 disinfectants that meet the agency’s criteria for use against SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. However, because SARS-CoV-2 is still a relatively new virus, the agency wasn’t able to actually test the disinfectants on this virus before releasing the recommended list. Instead, disinfectants had to meet one of two requirements to be placed on List N: Demonstrate efficacy against a harder-to-kill virus or demonstrate efficacy against another type of human coronavirus similar to SARS-CoV-2. List N was updated on July 1 to include the entries for the first two products tested directly against SARS-CoV-2. These two Lysol products were the first to be laboratory tested and then reviewed and approved by the EPA. The test was manufactured by Reckitt Benckiser (RB), Lysol’s parent company, and results showed that both Lysol Disinfectant Spray and Lysol Disinfectant Max Cover Mist were able to kill COVID-19 after two minutes of use. RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. “Hygiene is both the foundation of health and essential in preventing the spread of illness causing germs,” Rahul Kadyan, executive vice president for North American hygiene at RB, said in a statement. “The EPA’s approval recognizes that using Lysol Disinfectant Spray can help to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on hard, non-porous surfaces. In the face of the pandemic, Lysol continues to work with a wide range of scientific and health experts to educate the public on the importance of hygiene.” The EPA says it will continue reviewing tested disinfectants and “expects to approve such claims for additional List N products in the coming weeks.” And for more about using cleaning products to kill coronavirus, check out You’re Definitely Making This Mistake Every Time You Use Disinfectant.
