The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic continues to rapidly spread cases across the United States. According to the Johns Hopkins Virus Tracker, as of this writing on March 18, there have been over 205,000 cases and over 8,200 deaths worldwide. Cases have now spread across all fifty states and the District of Columbia, with over 6,100 reported cases and more than 100 deaths.
In response the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has released a list of disinfectants registered in New York and available for Use against novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. See NYSDEC List of Disinfectants Approved for Control of SARS-CoV-2. The New York list joins the list that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) previously issued. See EPA List of Disinfectants for Control of SARS-CoV-2. Pesticides must be registered in each state in which they are sold or distributed. Thus, while the EPA list identified Federally-registered products, those products are in fact only available in any given state if they are registered in that state. This list identifies for New Yorkers the products on the EPA list that are actually registered in New York and thus theoretically available, subject to supply limitations.
One critical aspect of disinfectant use is often overlooked by users. All disinfectant products list minimum contact times, meaning the length of time that the surface being treated must remain wet. The majority of products require a ten minute contact time, and a significant number require five minutes. There are a limited number products that have one or two minute periods, and a few as short as thirty seconds. Failure to maintain wetness for the required period means the product will not achieve control, in this case of the virus. Recent news images of hard surfaces being treated do not instill confidence, as in many cases it is obvious the minimum contact time is not being maintained.