The Environmental Protection Agency has declared two household products made by Lysol are an effective method of killing the novel coronavirus. The news was revealed on July 6 via a press release from RB, the company that manufactures Lysol products.
The statement indicates that both Lysol Disinfectant Spray and Lysol Disinfectant Max Cover Mist are the first surface disinfectant products that are EPA-approved regarding the pandemic, as reported by TODAY. Lysol Disinfectant Spray can kill the virus “at 2 minutes of use,” the statement indicates. “Hygiene is both the foundation of health and essential in preventing the spread of illness-causing germs,” RB Executive Vice President Rahul Kadyan added. “The EPA’s approval recognizes that using Lysol Disinfectant Spray can help to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on hard, non-porous surfaces.”
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It was also analyzed in a peer-reviewed study that RB itself commissioned, which found it was more than 99.9 percent effective. More studies are looking to be conducted to determine the effectiveness of other products. Both Lysol products are the first where the EPA has reviewed laboratory testing data and approved label claims. The two will join a list of over 420 disinfectants that meet the EPA’s coronavirus criteria.
Currently, cases of COVID-19 have been spiking across the U.S., with states like Texas, Arizona and Florida being particularly hard-hit. So much so that the city of Miami is now being considered the new epicenter of the outbreak, according to leading health officials. “What we were seeing in Wuhan five months ago, now we are there. We really need your help,” Dr. Lilian Abbo said at a press conference on Thursday. She was joined by several colleagues, where they pleaded with members of the public to socially distance, wear face coverings and follow local rules and regulations that are aimed at slowing the spread.
Despite the spiking numbers, President Donald Trump has repeatedly insisted that public schools should be reopened for the fall semester and even threatened states with pulling federal funding as a means to accomplish this goal. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany also sparked a heated discussion online after reiterating the president’s goals.
“The science should not stand in the way of this,” McEnany told reporters on Thursday while citing a handful of articles and experts as to the reasoning behind the decision. She went on to say that “The science is on our side here,” and that “localities and states to just simply follow the science [and] open our schools,” claiming “it’s very damaging to our children.”
