The Environmental Protection Agency on Aug. 24 gave emergency approval for the use of a new COVID-19 cleanser that claims to kill the virus on surfaces for up to seven days, The Washington Post reports.
The state of Texas has granted permission for two organizations — Allen, Texas-based Total Orthopedics Sports & Spine and American Airlines — to begin using the product. Both organizations applied for emergency approval of the product through the EPA.
Allied BioScience, which developed the product SurfaceWise2, is pursuing similar emergency waivers in all 50 states.
But the EPA said the company will still have to submit the product for nonemergency approval and demonstrate further data on its "durability and efficacy," particularly on coated surfaces once they are touched, according to The Washington Post.
There is still uncertainty about how COVID-19 spreads. The virus is thought to be predominantly spread through respiratory droplets, according to the CDC.
"It may be possible that people can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads," the CDC outlined on its website.