EPA Seeks Comments on Hospital Disinfectant Strategy

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it has created a new draft of an Antimicrobial Performance Evaluation Program (APEP) strategy to test the effectiveness of disinfectants used in hospitals.

The new strategy will not only ensure disinfectants are effective before they can be sold, it will lay out a risk-based approach for confirming hospital disinfectants remain effective and are used properly after they are registered.

Before the draft strategy is finalized, the EPA is seeking additional input through public comments. Comments will be accepted until December 2, 2019. After considering these comments, the EPA will revise the APEP strategy as appropriate.

The EPA expects to publish the APEP final strategy in 2020 and implement it in 2022. Once finalized, the APEP will replace the Antimicrobial Testing Program (ATP), which the EPA suspended in November 2017 on recommendation from its Office of Inspector General.

Your Comments to EPA are Encouraged.Interested parties are encouraged to review and submit comments to EPA on the draft document by December 2, 2019.To submit comments to EPA, to www.regulations.gov, and search under docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2018-0265. ISSA members are also encouraged to review the draft and send their comments to Bill Balek, ISSA ([email protected]) (no later than Nov. 29) for possible inclusion in industry comments to be filed with the Agency.