EPA Approves Long-Lasting Coronavirus Disinfectant In Texas

American Airlines Inc. and a Texas orthopedics business can start using the first surface disinfectant that protects against the novel coronavirus for up to seven days, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Monday as it granted the Lone Star State's emergency request for approval of the product.

EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said this is the first time the agency has approved a product that claims it can block the virus for so long. The airline will apply SurfaceWise 2, produced by Allied BioScience Inc., to the cabins of its entire fleet over the next couple of months, including seats, tray tables, armrests, overhead bins, lavatories and galleys.

The state's emergency application only allows American Airlines and Total Orthopedics Sports & Spine facilities, which are both based in Texas, to use the product, but Wheeler said he expects more states to submit applications for more uses as word gets out about this approval.

Allied BioScience has also submitted a normal application for approval, and it's possible the EPA could allow the product to be used by the general public if it passes all the agency's tests, Wheeler said. It's unclear how long that could take.

"This is a groundbreaking step that is expected to provide longer-lasting protection in public spaces, increasing consumer confidence in resuming normal air travel and other activities," Wheeler said Monday.

He said once SurfaceWise 2 is applied to a surface via an electrostatic sprayer, it can kill the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, or SARS-CoV-2, for up to seven days. It won't replace normal cleanings, but will supplement them, he said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention says the virus spreads from person to person mainly through respiratory droplets from coughing, sneezing or talking in close proximity to each other, but the CDC has also said it may be possible for a person to get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose or possibly their eyes.

American Airlines Chief Operating Officer David Seymour said Monday the company will gradually begin applying the disinfectant to its entire 1,500-aircraft fleet. He said the process could take a couple of months because right now it can only be applied in Texas and some flights don't normally go through the state, so there will have to be some rotation of the planes.

"SurfaceWise 2, combined with the multiple layers of protection for customers and team members that are already in place, will make us even stronger in safeguarding our customers' health when they choose to fly," Seymour said. "We call this our 'clean commitment,' and it is our promise that we're taking strong measures and using the latest products and technology to give our customers peace of mind when they travel with us."

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller called the product a "great tool."

"Texas, once again, is ready to step up during this fight against the virus ... as we try to bring our economy back and get back to a sense of normalcy here," Miller said.

The EPA has cracked down on businesses that sell products claiming to kill the coronavirus but that haven't been approved by the agency.

In June, the EPA ordered Amazon and eBay to stop selling unproven or unapproved disinfectants that claim to be effective against the coronavirus. The EPA said at the time that the e-commerce giants have continued to sell unregistered, misbranded or restricted-use pesticides and disinfectants in the U.S. in potential violation of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act and the Toxic Substances Control Act.

--Additional reporting by Clark Mindock. Editing by Marygrace Murphy.

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