Disinfection

Viruses, bacteria, fungi, yeasts...small organisms but big impacts!

• They are not all transmitted in the same way, but all can be responsible for serious health crises. Thus, viruses such as H1N1, H5N1, influenza, gastro epidemics, Strass, Mers and more recently Covid19 have demonstrated their capacity to harm our societies.
• Their development is extremely rapid: a single bacterial cell generates a colony of 8 million bacteria in less than 24 hours.
• Prevention of contamination risks can only be achieved through good hygiene practices and effective disinfection.

What is disinfection?

Disinfection is an operation, with a temporary result, allowing the elimination or killing of microorganisms and/or the inactivation of undesirable viruses, supported by contaminated inert environments, depending on the objectives set.
It is mainly carried out by disinfectant cleaners. It can also be carried out in certain cases by physical processes.
A disinfectant product will be considered to have a disinfectant action if it divides the number of microorganisms present by 10,000 or even by 100,000.
This operation does not prevent subsequent recontamination of the surface. Disinfectant cleaners generally have no persistence, although there are exceptions.

Disinfection standards for professional products

Disinfection standards are presented according to a classification:
Basic Standards - Phase 1
Application standards - Phase 2 separated into 2 stages 1 and 2
Phase 1 standards: NF EN14347 / NF T 72-230 / NF T 72-231
Phase 2 standards, step 1: NF EN1276 / NF EN1650 / NF EN13624 / NF EN13727 / NF EN14348 / NF EN14348
Phase 2 standards, step 2: NF EN1500 / NF EN12791 / NF EN13697 / NF EN14561 / NF EN14562 / NF EN14563 / NF EN16615 / NF EN16615 / NF EN17111 / NF EN16777

Disinfectant cleaning product and EN14476 standard

Since the appearance of the Covid19 virus which is an enveloped virus, the standard put forward for the fight against Covid19 is EN14476.
A standard lives and evolves over time.
Previous versions of EN 14476 (2007, 2013 and 2015) did not distinguish between non-enveloped (naked) and enveloped viruses for surface and hand treatment.
Since non-enveloped viruses are more resistant, the reasoning was that if non-enveloped viruses are destroyed then enveloped viruses are also destroyed.

History of amendments to the EN 14476 standard:
EN 14476+A1 (2007): Poliovirus and Adenovirus test; Parvovirus for chemothermal disinfection.
EN 14476 (2013): addition of Norovirus as a reference strain, addition of limited spectrum virucidal activity on Adenovirus and Norovirus only for hand treatment, possibility of testing a ready-to-use product at 97% instead of 80% previously.
EN 14476+A1 (2015): addition of activity on enveloped virus with test on Vaccinia virus only for hand disinfection.
EN 14476+A2 (2019): Virucidal activity on enveloped viruses (hands and surfaces) = test on Vaccinia virus
Limited spectrum virucidal activity (on enveloped viruses + non-enveloped viruses Adenovirus, Rotavirus and Norovirus) = test on Adenovirus and Norovirus
Virucidal activity (enveloped and non-enveloped viruses) = test on Poliovirus, Adenovirus and Norovirus
It is mentioned in the standards protocols that tests carried out on previous versions of the standards remain valid and do not need to be resubmitted for testing.

Disinfectant Regulations and Biocide Directive

Professional or household disinfectant cleaners are part of the large family of “Biocides” :
Biocidal products are preparations of "active substances" for domestic or professional use intended to destroy, repel or render harmless harmful organisms, to prevent their action or to combat them, by chemical or biological action.
The "active substance" present in the biocidal product may be a chemical compound or be derived from a micro-organism exerting its biocidal action on or against harmful organisms.
Regulatory obligation: You will find the “active substance(s)” on the label in the composition of any disinfectant product with its identification number (CAS number) and a concentration in % by mass.
Active substances and biocidal products are subject to a European regulation (EU Regulation No. 528/2012) aimed at harmonizing the marketing and use of these products in Europe .

Group of disinfectants and biocide in cleaners

In the Disinfectants Group, there are 5 types of products (TP):
TP1 Biocidal products intended for human hygiene;
Not affected: skin antiseptic products and cosmetic products
TP2 Disinfectants and algaecides not intended for direct application to humans or animals
These are products intended to disinfect surfaces, materials, equipment and furniture that are not used in direct contact with food or animal feed.
These may also be products intended to disinfect air, water not used for human or animal consumption, chemical toilets, wastewater, hospital waste and soil.
TP3 Biocidal products intended for veterinary hygiene.
TP4 Disinfectants for surfaces in contact with food and animal feed.
TP5 Disinfectants for drinking water.
Regulatory obligation: you will find on the label of any disinfectant product the TP(s) to which it belongs.

Frequently asked questions about disinfectant cleaners and Biocid?

Who is affected by the Biocid directive and Biocid certification?

Any person exercising a supervisory function for the use of biocidal products
Any person who chooses to acquire biocidal products or who orders the acquisition of biocidal products
Any person who carries out the activity of placing on sale, selling or distributing biocidal products free of charge to users of these products or to natural or legal persons acting on their behalf, including purchasing groups, in particular wholesalers, retailers, sellers and suppliers