What "EPA-registered" means on a disinfectant.
Disinfectants are pesticides
Under federal law, products that kill germs on surfaces are regulated as pesticides. Before one can be sold with germ-killing claims, the EPA reviews it and assigns an EPA registration number, printed on the label as "EPA Reg. No."
The label is the law
Every pesticide label carries this line: "It is a violation of Federal law to use this product in a manner inconsistent with its labeling." The label says which surfaces, which germs, how long the product must stay wet, and how it may be applied. The EPA has said that unless a label specifically includes directions for fogging or electrostatic spraying, it does not recommend using those methods to apply disinfectants.
Colorado adds its own check
Products sold in Colorado must also be registered with the Colorado Department of Agriculture, which advises anyone hiring a disinfection service to ask for the product label or its EPA registration number.
How to check a product
- Find the EPA Reg. No. on the label.
- Look it up in the EPA's Pesticide Product Label System to read the approved label.
- Check that the label covers the place it's being used (your home) and the way it's being applied.
Sources: EPA, Introduction to Pesticide Labels; EPA on fogging and electrostatic spraying; Colorado Department of Agriculture consumer alert.