AARP Hearing Center
The multipurpose cleaner Pine-Sol Original has been added to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) growing list of products that have proven effective in killing the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) on hard surfaces, based on results from laboratory testing. The cleaner, with the active ingredient glycolic acid, has been shown to kill the virus that causes COVID-19 after about 10 minutes of contact time on a surface.
The latest update brings the total number of products approved by the EPA for use against SARS-CoV-2 to 32; Lysol Disinfectant Spray and Lysol Disinfectant Max Cover Mist were the first to receive agency approval in early July. (See the full list below.)
The list now includes six products from the Clorox Company, including the brand’s namesake disinfecting wipes and Pine-Sol, 16 products from manufacturer Lonza and six from Lysol, which is owned by Reckitt Benckiser. Four other companies each have a single approved disinfectant on the EPA list. The most common active ingredient among the list of cleaners is quaternary ammonium.
Four products on the list have an active ingredient other than quaternary ammonium. Sodium hypochlorite is the active ingredient in two variations of professional-grade disinfectant wipes from Clorox Professional Products Company; hydrogen peroxide is the active ingredient in Midlab’s approved HP2O2 product; and glycolic acid is the active ingredient in Pine-Sol (listed as Tuck 3 on the EPA’s website).
Lonza products are sold under different brand names at a variety of retail stores throughout the U.S. The company did not name specific brands that use its formulations, but it said they can be found in several retail-branded disinfectant products, and that consumers can verify an approved Lonza formulation by the EPA registration number listed on the product’s package. (See the table below for these numbers.)
