EPA approves 2 Lysol products as first to effectively kill novel coronavirus on surfaces

The US Environmental Protection Agency has approved two Lysol products as effective against the novel coronavirus when used on hard, non-porous surfaces.

Lysol Disinfectant Spray and Lysol Disinfectant Max Cover Mist meet the EPA's criteria for use against the SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the ongoing pandemic, based on laboratory testing that found both products kill the virus two minutes after contact, the agency announced in a statement Monday.

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While there are more than 420 products on the list of disinfectants that the EPA says are strong enough to ward off "harder-to-kill" viruses than the novel coronavirus, the two Lysol products are the first to have been tested directly against the virus and proved effective.

Lysol said in a statement it is currently working on testing the efficacy of other disinfectant products against Covid-19.

"In the face of the pandemic, Lysol continues to work with a wide range of scientific and health experts to educate the public on the importance of hygiene," said Rahul Kadyan, executive vice president of Reckitt Benckiser in North America, Lysol's parent company.

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The news comes one month after a CDC survey found that people said they were cleaning more frequently because of the pandemic, but only about half said that they really knew how to clean and disinfect their home safely.

Of those people who were surveyed that acknowledged that they used high-risk cleaning practices to prevent the spread of Covid-19, more were likely to report health problems related to cleaning.

The CDC recommends that people always read the instructions on cleaning products. When cleaning, wear gloves or other protective gear. And don't mix cleaning chemicals.

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