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Amended chemical disinfectant specifications provide increased consumer protection

As visible in the top right hand corner on this product label, all registered products will have a registration number on their labels, which could be the following: • Act29GNR529/XXXXXX/XXX/XXXX • Act5GNR529/XXXXXX/XXX/XXXX • NRCS/8054/XXXXXX/XXX

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it a dramatic increase in the demand for disinfectants to combat the spread of the deadly and highly contagious novel coronavirus. Now, more than ever, the need for safe disinfecting products that do not pose unnecessary risks to consumers is critical.

In 2017, the Department of Trade and Industry published an Amendment of the Compulsory Specification

for Chemical Disinfectants (VC 8054), which comes into effect in October 2020. This legislation includes compulsory testing and labelling of chemical disinfectants and means that consumers can now be assured that chemical disinfectants for sale in South

Africa must comply with the minimum safety requirements and must be registered by the

National Regulator for Compulsory

Specifications (NRCS).

Lee O’Reilly, quality systems internal auditor at industrial cleaning product manufacturer Industroclean, explains that these regulations apply to chemical disinfectants that are used on hard surfaces in the food, industrial, domestic and healthcare industries to kill microorganisms. They do not apply to products for use on people or animals. O’Reilly adds that the new amendments include specifications for several types of microorganisms.

“Whereas the previous regulations focused mostly on those chemical disinfectants that kill bacteria, the new regulations bring South Africa in line with European standards and include specifications for other microorganisms, like viruses, spores and fungi,” she says.

These amendments, which were first contemplated as far back as 2015, require that all chemical disinfectants must comply with the specified minimum safety requirements and must be registered by the NRCS. This includes strict rules for the labelling of products. O’Reilly explains that the label or package insert must contain all relevant information, including clearly stating the microorganisms that the product is effective against and clear instructions on how the product should be used.

She adds that all labels must also include warnings; handling and storage information; compatibility with other substances; and the first aid measures to be taken for different levels of contact, e.g. skin irritation, in eyes, or if swallowed.

“All products must be tested for effectiveness against the various categories of microorganisms. Testing requirements for chemical disinfectants used in the food, industrial, domestic and institutional areas will be different to the tests for use in the healthcare sector,” she explains.

For consumers, these new regulations mean that they can rest assured that the chemical disinfectant that they purchase has been tested, is within its expiry date and is safe to use – if used as indicated on the label.

O’Reilly cautions, however, that there are many non-compliant products on the market, which range from coloured water to hazardous substances that can pose a serious threat to both the environment and human lives.

“The new amendments have been put in place to safeguard the environment and to protect consumers. Purchasing cheap, unregistered disinfectants may be tempting for consumers, but these products can cause serious health conditions, including lung conditions, skin peeling and allergic reactions,” concludes O’Reilly.