EPA OKs Emergency Use of Disinfectant

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved a public health emergency exemption waiver for Allied BioScience that was submitted by the Texas Department of Agriculture. The approval allows the use of SurfaceWise 2 among Texas-based customers to provide continuous effectiveness in protecting against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
 
Allied BioScience's SurfaceWise 2 coating is now the first and only surface coating approved by the EPA for use to continuously protect against COVID-19 with a single application, according to Allied BioScience.
 
With the EPA's approval, the Texas Department of Agriculture received an exemption enabling Texas to become the first state in which a Section 18 emergency waiver for SurfaceWise 2 has been approved. Allied BioScience is pursuing this emergency waiver across all 50 states.
 
“The EPA approval clears the way to begin effectively protecting consumers against COVID-19 as the only solution proven to provide long-term, non-toxic surface protection from the virus,” said Michael Ruley, CEO, Allied BioScience. “We have been eager to bring our product to market and look forward to partnering with leading Texas-based companies to keep Texans safe in the fight against COVID-19.”
 
SurfaceWise 2 is the latest surface coating from Allied BioScience with antiviral properties that continuously kill 99.9% of viruses on surfaces. The non-toxic coating is applied via an electrostatic spray to provide always-on protection on treated surfaces.
 
Allied BioSciences said that independent lab studies conducted ahead of the emergency waiver approval by leading infectious disease expert Dr. Charles Gerba found SurfaceWise2 to be effective against Human Coronavirus 229E, the EPA approved surrogate for 90 days.  
 
American Airlines says it is upgrading its “Clean Commitment” by adding the SurfaceWise 2 electrostatic spraying solution to its cleaning and safety program in the coming months. 

“The American Airlines Clean Commitment is our promise that we’re taking bold measures and using the latest products and technology to help ensure our customers’ well-being when they travel with us,” said David Seymour, American’s chief operating officer. “Thanks to rigorous evaluations conducted by the experienced professionals at the EPA, the American Airlines team and Allied BioScience, our multitiered program will become even stronger at safeguarding our customers and team members from virus such as coronavirus and the flu.”

In the coming months, American will begin using SurfaceWise2 for electrostatic spraying on surfaces inside its aircraft with plans to use the product throughout its entire fleet, including those in its American Eagle regional partners. Other elements of the airline’s multitiered Clean Commitment, include enhanced aircraft cleaning performed before every mainline flight and an even deeper overnight cleaning.