Treated articles are objects that have been rendered antimicrobial by incorporating an active ingredient into or onto the item itself, with the intention of protecting the product from microbial odors or microbial degradation, not protecting the person using the product from infectious microbes.
Unlike disinfectants and sanitizers, which are subject to registration under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), qualified treated articles are exempt from registration.
To qualify, product performance claims must be limited to the protection of the object, not people, and the product must use an EPA-registered active ingredient bearing claims for that purpose.
Common examples of treated articles include kitchen sponges, antimicrobial sportswear, and marine textiles and furnishings.
Being exempt from EPA registration means the companies making treated articles have freedom to choose the test method that best suits the product. Treated articles come in all shapes and sizes, across hundreds of product categories. the chart below is a useful way to identify the test method that may work best.
To further discuss treated article testing, contact our lab to speak with a microbiologist today at [email protected].
