Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110
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CDC updates views on transmission of Covid-19
An April 5, 2021 ‘Science Brief’ from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) appears to call into question the amount of surface disinfecting necessary to quell the spread of Covid-19.
According to the CDC, while it is possible to contract the disease by touching Covid-contaminated surfaces and then touching your nose, mouth, or eyes, the chances of this happening are "generally less than one in 10,000".
Further effective handwashing can reduce these chances even more. In most cases, the Brief concludes, transmission of the virus is through the inhalation of airborne droplets.
In addition, it states that on most surfaces, there is a "99% reduction in infectious SARS-CoV-2 (Coronavirus) within 72 hours."
The degradation may even be faster because many studies are not conducted under ‘real world’ conditions.
"While the study does not call into question the need for surfaces to be kept clean, it does call into question the use of disinfectants," says Ashkin Group’s Stephen Ashkin, a leading advocate for sustainability.
The study goes beyond just questioning the use of disinfectants, stating they are all too frequently misused.
The Brief states: "There have been increases in poisonings and injuries from unsafe use of cleaners and disinfectants since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Some types of disinfection applications, particularly those including fogging or misting, are neither safe nor effective for inactivating the virus unless properly used."
While the study does suggest that surface disinfecting may help prevent transmission of the disease within households, there is still little scientific data to support this claim.
Stephen Ashkin says that the big takeaway of this latest report is that "we are likely over disinfecting. It is unnecessary; it is proving to be unhealthy for people, including cleaning workers, and certainly not healthy for the environment."
Instead of such emphasis on disinfecting, he says, "effective cleaning and effective handwashing is likely all that is necessary to slow the spread of this disease".
The study is at:
8th April 2021