The current epidemiological situation has contributed to an increase in the number of biocides available. However, before the Office allows a given preparation to be placed on the market, it is necessary to obtain a permission allowing the sale of biocidal products. Before a biocidal product is registered on the official list of preparations with a authorisation number, it must pass mandatory biocidal efficacy tests. In which sectors of the economy are such products used? What is the registration process for disinfection products? Why should I entrust this to specialists?
Biocidal products – general characteristics
The SARS-CoV-2 epidemic has led to an increased awareness of disinfectants among the population. Today, biocides are available in many forms. These include hand lotions and gels as well as liquids and fogging agents. Wipes for disinfecting surfaces and equipment are also common. These preparations are used wherever there is a particular risk of transferring bacteria and microorganisms. They are also present where access to running water is limited or where the use of biocides is required by law, e.g. in the medical area.
How do biocidal products work?
The most common ingredient in disinfectants is ethyl or isopropyl alcohol. Usually the concentration of alcohol in the final product is 60-85%. These products are effective against bacteria, yeasts and fungi, spores, tubercle bacilli and viruses. However, it is necessary to confirm the efficacy of the biocidal activity within each of these scopes. Biocidal products, in addition to their main function of destroying undesirable pathogens, act as a preservative of a given surface. Thus, they reduce secondary contamination.
Areas of application of biocides
Disinfection products in private, industrial and institutional areas
This sector covers everyday life as well as public and industrial activities. Biocidal preparations have become a regular feature of homes, institutions, educational establishments, beauty salons, fitness clubs, workplaces, and food processing or production facilities. The legal provisions in force in Poland oblige entrepreneurs to introduce the HCCP system (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) one of the elements of which is the so-called Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) regulating systems of maintaining appropriate conditions for the storage of food and products ensuring safety.
Disinfection products for the medical area
In the medical industry, preparations for disinfection are of particular importance. Biocides are used at every step of the operation of hospitals, clinics or private doctors’ offices. The use of the above mentioned preparations is an indispensable element of disinfection, including disinfection of medical personnel’s hands before various treatments, or an obligatory factor maintaining cleanliness in hospital rooms, up to disinfection of surgical instruments.
Disinfectants in the veterinary area
In veterinary medicine and related fields, biocidal products are used for disinfection of, inter alia, breeding facilities, livestock buildings, disinfection of veterinary offices, breeding establishments and stables. Within this sector, disinfectants with particularly powerful activity are used.
What conditions must a product fulfil to be considered biocidal?
If you want to register biocidal products on the market, the manufacturer is absolutely obliged to carry out biocidal effectiveness tests depending on the type of a given preparation and the area of application. In order for a product to be registered by the Office for Registration of Medicinal Products, Medical Devices and Biocides, it must meet certain criteria. According to the information available on the website of the Office, a product may be registered as biocidal if:
Biocidal product means a substance or mixture composed of one or more active substances the purpose of which is to destroy, inactivate and repel, combat or prevent harmful organisms other than by physical or mechanical action.
The intended use of the product should fall within the categories and groups of products included in Annex V to Regulation No. 528/2012.
The active substances used for the production of the biocide are included in Annex II of the EU Commission Delegated Regulation No. 1062/2014 of 4 August 2014