How to Read an EPA Label
One of the prime focuses in our Education & Training efforts is on understanding the guidelines and restrictions that go with being an EPA registered product. The product label itself is your guide to using that product safely and effectively. Understanding the unified terminology for comparisons between products can be very helpful. You can immediately know the risks, if any, associate with using certain products because all the pertinent information you need to make an educated decision is on the label. Understanding it however, is not obvious and has become increasingly difficult to understand. We can help you decipher the labeling so you can make the right choice for your application.
For more information regarding how the EPA regulates Antimicrobial Pesticides go to www.epa.gov.
To begin, if the product has an EPA registration number then you can be assured that every word on the label has been reviewed & approved. If a product does not have certain sections, such as warnings or precautionary language, then the EPA has deemed that language as 'not required' for safe & effective application of that product. To see an example of the standard labeling requirements for antimicrobial products see the EPA's Interactive label.
In other words, what a product label does NOT say can be as important as what it does say!
EPA Registration
EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) has the responsibility under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to regulate the registration of antimicrobial products used to control pathogenic bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms for a variety of uses. Under FIFRA, the registrant of a product with a public health claim is required to submit efficacy, or effectiveness data, to EPA in support of the product's registration. EPA reviews the effectiveness data as part of the registration process for each product. If the data meet efficacy standards and all other requirements for registration are met, the product qualifies for registration and is issued a distinct identification number, or EPA registration number, that appears on the product's label along with other required statements.
Look up the Benefect Disinfectant EPA registration by going to the Product Pesticide Label System (PPLS):
• Enter the Company number: 84683
• Enter the Product Number: 1 for Benefect Botanical Disinfectant or 2 for Benefect Biocide AD (use in HVAC)
Antimicrobial Health & Safety
Antimicrobials play an important and ongoing role in public health and safety. To ensure these products continue to be effective against pathogens after registration, the EPA created the Antimicrobial Testing Program (ATP). Under this program, the EPA collects and tests samples from manufacturers, stores and distributors. The efficacy test methods provide a rigorous challenge to the product, as the level of bacteria used in the test(s) is at least 1,000 times greater than the contamination level typically found on surfaces in health care facilities. The EPA adopted this high standard to ensure that products will be effective even when extremely high pathogen levels are present. When an antimicrobial product is on this list, it simply means that it is currently under review by the EPA and does not mean there is a problem with the product. Over the years, Benefect Botanical Disinfectant has been reviewed many times under this program.
