What is the difference between a disinfectant and a sanitizer?
|
 |
Disinfectants are distinguish from sanitizers in several ways:
Both sanitizers and disinfectants are products regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA establishes the rules that govern these products including their testing, claims and direction for use. A disinfectant must completely eliminate all the organisms listed on its label. These organisms are not limited to bacteria but could include viruses and fungi. Sanitizers need not eliminate one hundred percent of all organisms to be effective. Nor are fungi or viruses ever included in a sanitizing claim. For food contact surfaces, a sanitizer must reduce the bacterial count by 99.999%.
Lonza's disinfectants and sanitizers are intended to by used on hard, non-porous, environmental surfaces such as walls, floors, countertops and tables. A disinfectant can be used on a food contact surface such as a countertop, utensils or glassware, but the surfaces need to be rinsed with potable water after being disinfected. A food contact sanitizer like Lonza Bardac 205M-7.5, EPA Reg. No. 6836-70, needs no rinse after sanitizing a food contact surface. A food contact sanitizer is designed to function as the final rinse on food contact surfaces such as tables, countertops, utensils or glassware.
At use dilution, the active ingredient concentration in a Lonza quaternary disinfectant product can range from 400 to 1000 ppm. The active ingredient concentration for a Lonza food contact sanitizer is limited to 150 to 400 ppm. The difference in active ingredient concentration is the result of the different sets of tests and rules that EPA establishes for each type of claim. Additionally, no perfumes are allowed in food contact sanitizers, but, perfumes are often used in disinfectants.
The directions for most disinfectants typically instruct the user to allow the disinfectant to be left on the surface for ten minutes. Typical sanitizing directions instruct the users to leave the sanitizing solutions on the surface anywhere from thirty to one hundred seconds twenty (2 minutes).
top> |
What is benzalkonium chloride?
|
|
Benzalkonium Chloride is a generic name for a class of quaternary ammonium compounds often referred to alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (ADBAC). Lonza offers several products that fit this name they include: Hyamine 3500, Barquat MB-50, Barquat MB-80 and Barquat 50-65. The National Formulary (NF) outlines a definition and a set of specifications for Benzalkonium Chloride. The Lonza product that best fits the NF definition and specifications for Benzalkonium Chloride NF is Hyamine 3500 - 80% NF. Additionally, Benzalkonium Chloride is the name used for labeling purpose in the pharmaceutical and personal care industries. Pharmaceutical products like eye contact lenses solutions, topical antiseptics, often contain Benzalkonium Chloride as an active ingredient or antimicrobial
top> |
How do I obtain an EPA establishment number?
|
|
You can contact one of the EPA regional offices or contact EPA headquarters in Washington, DC. In your correspondence you need to identify your company and your company's intentions. Let's take for example, Mike's Janitorial. Mike would like to begin to manufacture and sell cleaner disinfectants to fast food restaurants. Mike's Janitorial would write his local EPA regional office and request an EPA Establishment Number. Typically, Mike's Janitorial could wait from two to six weeks to receive a response. Mike's Janitoral's letter should identify their specific intentions: manufacture and sell disinfectants.
Address for EPA:
US EPA
Document Control Desk(H7504C)
401 M Street, SW
Washington, DC 20460
For further branch offices go to: www.epa.gov
top> |
What is an EPA establishment number?
|
|
The EPA regulates disinfectants and sanitizers under set laws that govern pesticides: the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). FIFRA regulates pesticides (disinfectants) through registration. FIFRA requires that the entities that manufacture disinfectant and sanitizer register with the EPA. Entities that just market and sell disinfectants and sanitizers must register with the EPA and obtain a company number
top> |
How do I obtain a Lonza supplemental registration?
|
|
Formal requests are made via a standard form obtained through Technical Services. You will soon by able to apply on-line.
top>
|
How do I select the Lonza formulation that is best for my application?
|
|
Your Lonza Account Manager can be very helpful in the formulation selection process. Be prepared to discuss the market that this new product will enter and claims that will be important for its success. To learn more about Lonza extensive EPA Registered Formulations, you can order our Formulation Portfolio booklet that provides a summary of Lonza formulations. Lonza has an extensive formulation portfolio that serves various janitorial markets: healthcare, food service, industrial and household. You can order this booklet by either e-mailing us at: contact.allendale@lonza.com or by faxing your request to or calling our Technical Service Hotline at 800-365-TECH (8324).
top>
|
Do you have a formula effective against TB?
|
|
The following comments pertain to NAFTA only:
Lonza has one registration based on our iodophor, BioSurf I-20: M-2205, EPA Registration 47371-28. We do not offer a tuberculocidal effective disinfectant based quaternary biocides. Quaternary biocides by themselves are not recognized to be effective against Mycobacterium. Quaternaries need to be combined with either other active ingredients like a phenolic or solvent like ethanol to be effective against TB. Please note, TB is an air borne disease. Hard surface disinfectants have little effect in reducing the spread of this disease. Many janitors and cleaning people prefer using quaternary based disinfectants because of their superior cleaning abilities, broad spectrum effectiveness and safe, easy handling. To obtain tuberculocidal effectiveness, a disinfectant needs to boost strength of the disinfectant. In boosting the strength of the disinfectant, the disinfectant often becomes more hazardous to use than quaternary based disinfectants. Janitorial users need to take added precautions in using these stronger disinfectants.
In Europe, Lonza has several formulations that are TB effective, however, these formulations and claims are not accepted within North America. For more information on Europe disinfectant formulation, please contact our European Sales office.
top>
|
Does Lonza have a formula effective against HBV?
|
|
Yes, currently, we have over a dozen registrations that include Lonza's R-82 Formulation Seriers and Formulation HWS Series. Since the new protocol(s) has been approved, the interest in tuberculocidal effective disinfectants has diminished. Interest in tuberculocidal disinfectants increased when the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued their blood borne pathogen directive. At that time (1993), a Hepatitis B virus test protocol did not exist. As result, OSHA listed a few methods to neutralize blood spills, one of which was to use a tuberculocidal effective disinfectant. Additionally, these same formulations have been tested and found effective against Hepatitis C virus as well as Hepatitis B.
top> |
Does Lonza have a disinfecting wipe formulation? |
| Lonza does have a disinfecting wipe formulation. It is registered with EPA as “Lonza Disinfecting Wipes” (6836-313). This formulation is one of the most robust formulas available, providing our customers with extensive label claims and multiple substrate selections. It is available for supplemental registration. Please contact your Lonza Account Manager for further details.
top> |
What does Lonza offer in the way of dye and fragrance selections for your various formulations? |
| Lonza offers a large variety of dye and fragrance selections for most formulations. If the particular dye or fragrance is not currently avaible, Lonza will often be able to add it to the list of options available on the Confidential Statement of Formulation (CSF) during the next CSF update to EPA.
top> |
Which US disinfectant formulations contain a claim against the Norwalk Virus? |
| The following Lonza Formulations contain a claim against the Norwalk Virus: Lonza Formulations R-82 / R-82F, S-21 / S-21F and S-18 / S-18F, D-103, Bardac 205M-10.
top> |
Which Canadian disinfectant formulations contain a claim against the Norwalk Virus? |
| The following Lonza Formulations contain a claim against the Norwalk Virus: Lonza Formulations R-82, S-21 and S-18.
top> |
|
|
What is the difference between a disinfectant and a sanitizer?
