The Consumer Specialty Products Association (CSPA) is the premier trade association for companies that formulate, manufacture, and distribute liquid chemical disinfectants.  Last month, scientists from Antimicrobial Test Laboratories attended the mid-year meeting in Chicago, Illinois, where a collective of industry representatives, consultants, and regulatory officials discussed important matters including the following:

  • Completed and upcoming EPA collaborative studies
  • Updates to EPA’s testing guidelines (810s)
  • Current regulatory issues pertaining to disinfectants

EPA conducts collaborative studies with industry labs to develop and validate test methods.  For instance, Antimicrobial Test Laboratories recently partook in a collaborative biofilm study utilizing the CDC bioreactor, which exposed substantial lab-to-lab variability and prompted changes to the method. Upcoming EPA collaborative studies will include virucide test methods, a new towelette testing method, and evaluation of Clostridium difficile endospore storage and sporulation.

EPA’s updated 810 series guidelines for testing are anticipated to be released in June 2015 and will be followed by a 90 day comment period. The updated guidelines will include additional information about testing at lower certified limits (LCL) and supplemental label claims.