FAQs

Don’t anti-bacterial products and disinfectants contain biocides that can harm people and the environment?

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Biocides are an important part of many cleaning products, but their role and effects can be confusing. Here's what's going on.

Controlling bacteria and other germs is one of the most important hygiene tasks in a business, hospitals, healthcare, and the products used to do that often contain biocides. These sound scary, but they're carefully regulated and even occur in nature. 

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What is a biocide?

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A biocide is defined by European legislation as a chemical substance or microorganism intended to destroy, deter, render harmless, or exert a controlling effect on any harmful organism by chemical or biological means.

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How are they regulated?

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Steri-7 Xtra, like all disinfectant cleaning products, uses a biocide to help you control bacteria and other germs. Steri-7 Xtra is carefully formulated and risk assessed to ensure they it is safe for you and for the environment when you use them.

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Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR)

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Steri-7 Worldwide complies with the Biocidal Products Regulation, which controls all kinds of products from wood preservatives to fly spray, also requires all ingredients that are sold for their ability to control germs to be registered (REACH) with a full safety dossier.

Anti-bacterial products and disinfectants are there to help protect your health by preventing the spread of germs. Steri-7 Xtra and every product that uses biocidal ingredients will also need to be registered, complete with its own full safety assessment. It will also have a full testing report to show it does what it says it does.

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Are many common substances biocides?

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Substances that can function as biocides can be hazardous, but some are common in the kitchen, including salt, vinegar and alcohol.

Salt has been used to preserve food by controlling microbes for thousands of years; vinegar can kill some kinds of bacteria (though not enough to be a disinfectant) and pure alcohol is a very powerful germ killer. 

If these were sold for their germ-killing properties, and not just to put on your food, they would have to be registered in just the same way.

 

HSE

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Advertisements for biocidal products shall not refer to the product in a manner which is misleading in respect of the risks from the product to human health, animal health or the environment or its efficacy. In any case, the advertising of a biocidal product shall not mention ‘low-risk biocidal product’, ‘non-toxic’, ‘harmless’, ‘natural’, ‘environmentally friendly’, ‘animal friendly’ or any similar indication.”

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Can Steri-7’s advertisements say my biocidal product is safe or harmless?

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No. The requirements in Article 72 of EU BPR clearly state that the advertisement claims you make must not mislead in respect of the risks of that biocidal product to humans, animals or the environment or efficacy, and specifically prohibit the use of words such as ‘harmless’ or similar terms.

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Can Steri-7’s advertisements say its biocidal products are natural or environmentally/animal friendly?

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No. As with all biocidal products. The requirements in Article 72 of the EU BPR clearly state that the advertisement claims you make must not mislead in respect of the risks of that biocidal product to humans, animals or the environment or efficacy, and specifically prohibit the use of words such as natural, environmentally friendly, animal friendly or any similar terms.

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Is Reactive Barrier Technology environmentally helpful?

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Steri-7 unique Reactive barrier Technology (RBT) has allowed a significant reduction in the use of Biocidal disinfectants by reactivation in the presence of moisture reducing the need to constantly re-apply the biocide. Developed to work in cold water it also reduces the energy use.