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U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL
Chemical Safety
Quick Reaction Report:
Complete and Clear
Information on the
Effectiveness of Ebola
Disinfectants Will Better
Inform the Public
Report No. 15-P-0064
January 21, 2015
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Report Contributors:
Christine Baughman
Jeffrey Harris
Lauretta Joseph
Eric Lewis
Abbreviations
ATP	Antimicrobial Testing Program
CDC	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
EPA	U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
OIG	Office of Inspector General
Cover photo: A training participant with a jug of chlorinated disinfectant prepares to
demonstrate how to properly carry out a disinfection procedure.
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention photo)
Are you aware of fraud, waste or abuse in an
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OIG Hotline@epa.gov
More information at www.epa.gov/oiq/hotline.html.
EPA Office of Inspector General
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Washington, DC 20460
(202) 566-2391
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Inspector General
At a Glance
15-P-0064
January 21, 2015
Why We Did This Review
This is a quick reaction report
that addresses the
completeness and consistency
of information provided on the
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency's (EPA) website
regarding disinfectants for use
against the Ebola virus.
The EPA's Web page
http://www.epa.gov/oppad001/lis
t-l-ebola-virus.html, titled
Disinfectants for Use Against
the Ebola Virus, contains a list
of registered disinfectants that
meet the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC)
criteria for hospital disinfectants.
This list is also known as List L.
Disinfectants like those on
List L are regulated and
registered by the EPA. During
the registration process, the
EPA reviews data submitted by
manufacturers to verify that
products with a public health
claim are effective. The EPA
also has its own testing
program— the Antimicrobial
Testing Program (ATP)—which
tests the effectiveness of
products after they are
registered.
This report addresses the
following EPA goal or
cross-agency strategy:
• Ensuring the safety of
chemicals and preventing
pollution.
Send all inquiries to our public
affairs office at (202) 566-2391
or visit www.epa.gov/oiq.
The full report is at:
www.epa.aov/oia/reports/2015/
20150121-15-P-0064.pdf
Quick Reaction Report: Complete and Clear
Information on the Effectiveness of Ebola
Disinfectants Will Better Inform the Public
What We Found
As of December 2014, the EPA's List L Web page
included 192 disinfectants that meet CDC criteria
for use against the Ebola virus. The EPA's List L
Web page contains the name of the disinfectant
product (e.g., Clorox®), and whether the product
can be used in hospital and health care settings,
offices, schools and residential settings. Of the 192
products listed, 29 recently registered products (registered since 2010) have not
been tested for effectiveness by the ATP. This status is not disclosed on the List
L Web page.
In addition, we identified eight products on List L that are not listed on the ATP
Web page http://www.epa.qov/oppad001/antimicrobial-testinq-proqram.html.
According to the EPA, three of the eight products were recently registered and
had not been posted to the ATP Web page. The other five products had been
tested by the ATP; however, their testing status was missing from the ATP page.
A 2010 report by the EPA Office of Inspector General found that many
antimicrobial products, such as disinfectants, scheduled to be tested by the
EPA's ATP were not tested. Of those that were tested for effectiveness, the
failure rate was high. The EPA has now tested more products. According to the
EPA, the lack of ATP testing on recently registered products does not pose any
risk to the public due to enhanced manufacturer testing requirements for recently
registered products. However, the testing results designed to demonstrate
whether products work as claimed by manufacturers are not being
communicated clearly.
Recommendations and Agency Corrective Actions
We recommended that the Assistant Administrator for Chemical Safety and
Pollution Prevention modify the List L Web page information to indicate the
status of the EPA's ATP testing on all products listed. We also recommended
that the EPA ensure that all List L products are included on the ATP list, and
product testing status is clearly reported.
The agency agreed with our recommendations and has completed actions to
address them. Both recommendations are closed.
The EPA's Web pages
should have ongoing,
clear information about
the effectiveness of
disinfectants for use
against the Ebola virus.

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UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460
THE INSPECTOR GENERAL
January 21, 2015
MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT: Quick Reaction Report: Complete and Clear Information on the Effectiveness of
Ebola Disinfectants Will Better Inform the Public
Report No. 15-P-0064
This is a quick reaction report prepared by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The report addresses information the EPA provides to
the public regarding disinfectants for use against the Ebola virus. This report represents the opinion of
the OIG and does not necessarily represent the final EPA position. Final determinations on matters in
this report will be made by EPA managers in accordance with established audit-resolution procedures.
The office responsible for the issues evaluated in this report is the Office of Pesticide Programs within
the EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention.
You are not required to provide a written response to this report because you have completed agreed-to
corrective actions for the report recommendations. Both recommendations have been closed. Should you
choose to provide a final response, we will post your response on the OIG's public website, along with
our memorandum commenting on your response. You should provide your response as an Adobe PDF
file that complies with the accessibility requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973,
as amended.
FROM: Arthur A. Elkins Jr.
TO:
Jim Jones, Assistant Administrator
Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention
We will post this report to our website at http://www.epa.gov/oig.

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Purpose, Scope and Methodology
This is a quick reaction report that addresses improvements needed in information provided by
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on its website regarding disinfectants that are
for use against the Ebola virus. We reviewed the completeness and consistency of EPA's public
information on disinfectants for use against the Ebola virus and efficacy testing results on those
disinfectants.
We conducted this review from November 2014 to January 2015 in accordance with generally
accepted government auditing standards, with the following exceptions:
•	We abbreviated our normal project planning and reporting steps, as well as outreach to
the EPA, to expedite our work due to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Africa and the
corresponding interest in treatment information in the United States.
•	We did not evaluate findings or conclusions in connection with internal controls as they
relate to the EPA's Ebola disinfectants Web pages.
The departure from generally accepted government auditing standards has no impact on the
conclusions drawn on the information provided in this report.
Background
Antimicrobials are designed to destroy or suppress harmful bacteria, viruses, and other
microorganisms on inanimate objects and surfaces in hospitals and other settings. Antimicrobials
are regulated and registered under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act by the
EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs. During the registration process, the EPA reviews test data
submitted by manufacturers to verify that products with a public health claim are effective. The
agency's Antimicrobial Testing Program (ATP) is a post-registration efficacy testing program.
The ATP determines whether products in the marketplace are effective and continue to perform
in a manner consistent with the product's initial registration.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Web pages, there are currently
no products claiming on their label to kill the Ebola virus. However, the CDC's website states:
... [VJiruses such as Ebola are susceptible to a broad range of hospital
disinfectants used to disinfect hard, non-porous surfaces. As a precaution,
selection of a disinfectant product with a higher potency than what is
normally required for a virus (such as Ebola) is being recommended.
The CDC issued guidance documents1 about the cleaning and decontamination of Ebola. For
example, the CDC's Interim Guidance for Environmental Infection Control in Hospitals for
Ebola Virus2 states:
1	http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/prevention/cleamng-and-decontamination.html
2	http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/environmental-infection-control-in-hospitals.html
15-P-0064
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Use a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered hospital
disinfectant with a label claim for a non-enveloped virus (e.g., norovirus,
rotavirus, adenovirus, poliovirus) to disinfect environmental surfaces in
rooms of patients with suspected or confirmed Ebola virus infection.
The CDC also provides a link to the EPA Web page3 titled Disinfectants for Use Against the
Ebola Virus, which contains a listing of registered disinfectants that meet CDC criteria. The list
is also known as List L, and was created by the EPA to provide easily accessible information on
currently marketed products that can be used against the Ebola virus and on their appropriately
labeled use sites. List L is also referenced in the various CDC guidance documents regarding
cleaning and decontamination of Ebola.
Prior OIG Report
EPA Office of Inspector General (OIG) Report No. 1 l-P-0029, EPA Needs to Assure
Effectiveness of Antimicrobial Pesticide Products,4 was issued December 15, 2010. This report
recommended that the EPA improve its ATP program by redesigning its process to verify
antimicrobial effectiveness. The EPA issued a letter in February 2012 stating that all agreed-to
actions had been completed.
Recent Agency Actions Prompted by OIG Work
On November 21, 2014, the OIG contacted the Assistant Administrator for the Office of
Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention to provide information on a time-sensitive issue
concerning List L. The OIG noted that List L contained two products where "Agency Taking
Action"5 was mentioned; therefore, those two products were not confirmed as effective.
Although one product had been removed from List L shortly after the OIG's November 2014
notification, the other product remained on List L.
Because of the significance of List L and broad public attention and concern about Ebola, the
OIG suggested that the EPA remove the remaining product from List L because "an ATP
designation of 'Agency Taking Action' is not wholly consistent with listing a product on List L,
and could be misleading to those who rely on EPA's List L designations." The EPA responded
promptly, stating that the remaining product status had recently changed to "Agency Confirmed
Efficacy." By November 24, 2014, the EPA updated the List L Web page to reflect the product's
status change.
information on Testing of Ebola Disinfectants Will Better Inform Public
As of December 2014, the EPA's List L Web page included 192 disinfectants that meet CDC
criteria for use against the Ebola virus. The List L Web page contains the name of the
3	http://www.epa.gov/oppad001/list-l-ebola-virus.html
4	http://www.epa. gov/oig/reports/2011/20101215-11 -P-0029.pdf
5	According to the ATP Web page http://www.epa.gov/oppad001/antimicrobial-testing-program.html.
"Agency Taking Action" means "products under EPA deliberation, including undergoing testing or review, or
taking regulatory or enforcement action."
15-P-0064
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disinfectant product (e.g., Clorox®), and whether the product can be used in hospital and health
care settings, offices, schools and residential settings. Of the 192 products listed, 29 recently
registered products (registered since 2010) have not been tested for effectiveness by the EPA's
ATP. This status is not disclosed on the List L Web page.
In addition, we identified eight products on List L that are not listed on the ATP Web page.
According to the EPA, three of the eight products were recently registered products and had not
been posted to the ATP Web page. The other five products had been tested by the ATP;
however, their testing status was missing from the ATP Web page.
The EPA OIG's 2010 report, EPA Needs to Assure Effectiveness of Antimicrobial Pesticide
Products, found that many antimicrobial products, such as disinfectants, scheduled to be tested
by the EPA's ATP were not tested. Of those products that were tested for effectiveness, the
failure rate was high. The EPA has now tested more products. According to the EPA, the lack of
ATP testing on recently registered products does not pose any risk to the public due to enhanced
manufacturer testing requirements for recently registered products. However, the testing results
designed to demonstrate whether products work as claimed by manufacturers are not being
communicated clearly.
Recommendations
We recommend that the Assistant Administrator for Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention:
1.	Modify the EPA's List L Web page information to indicate the status of the EPA's ATP
testing on all products listed.
2.	Ensure that all List L products are included on the ATP list, and product testing status is
clearly reported.
Agency Comments
EPA officials agreed with our recommendations and completed actions in response to both
recommendations. The actions taken met the intent of the recommendations. Specifically, the
EPA's List L Web page now contains a link to the ATP Web page. The agency also updated the
ATP Web page to include missing List L products and their testing status. Both
recommendations have been closed.
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Status of Recommendations and
Potential Monetary Benefits
RECOMMENDATIONS
POTENTIAL MONETARY
BENEFITS (In $000s)
Rec.
No.
No.
Subject
Status1
Action Official
Modify the EPA's List L Web page information to
indicate the status of the EPA's ATP testing on all
products listed.
Ensure that all List L products are included on the
ATP list, and product testing status is clearly
reported.
Completion
Date
Claimed
Amount
Ag reed-To
Amount
Assistant Administrator for 12/8/14
Chemical Safety and
Pollution Prevention
Assistant Administrator for 117115
Chemical Safety and
Pollution Prevention
1 0 = Recommendation is open with agreed-to corrective actions pending.
C = Recommendation is closed with all agreed-to actions completed.
U = Recommendation is unresolved with resolution efforts in progress.
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Appendix A
Distribution
Office of the Administrator
Assistant Administrator for Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention
Agency Follow-Up Official (the CFO)
Agency Follow-Up Coordinator
General Counsel
Associate Administrator for Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations
Associate Administrator for Public Affairs
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention
Director, Office of Pesticide Programs, Office of Chemical Safety and
Pollution Prevention
Audit Follow-Up Coordinator, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention
15-P-0064
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