Breaking down knowledge barriers.....
Anna is breaking down some knowledge barriers in this weeks blog, highlighting what everyone should know about the differences between BS EN 1276 and BS EN 14476?
Last week I began to briefly discuss all the nuances between the differences between BS EN 1276 products and BS EN 14476 products.
We have learned that coronavirus is an umbrella term encompassing both the common cold and flu and also more severe and pertinent viruses like COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2. We also talked last week about how manufactures are trying to manipulate the audiences limited knowledge (i.e YOU) to give the impression that that manufacturers product does kill COVID because it kills coronavirus, and that it is BS EN 14476 or BS EN 1276 when it has failed the accreditation.
So let’s start at the beginning; BS EN 1276 is a test whereby a chemical is tested on a hard surface. To meet the criteria for this test the chemical MUST be tested on a hard surface. This test would never be used in water, for fogging, on soft furnishings, this test is specific only to hard surfaces.
There are industry professionals who still get confused with this test and are looking for a bactericidal detergent to sanitise dishes (in essence washing up) and they are looking for a BS EN 1276 product. This product doesn't exist.... why? Water is not a hard surface - of course!!
BS EN 14476 is a standard test which is conducted in a laboratory which proves that the chemical that is being tested contains antiviral ingredients. This test also demonstrates that the chemical which has earned the BS EN 14476 accreditation kills Poliovirus, Norovirus, Influenza A and adenovirus.
To have earned the accreditation BS EN 14476, it is a good, well researched chemical, but it does not categorically mean it kills SARS-CoV-2. There is a brand new test which has recently come out, which all GOOD chemicals are putting themselves through at their own cost to demonstrate effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2. Notice I am being very specific with my language during this blog, to make sure that everyone understands exactly what I am saying rather than just using vauge terms which could be misunderstood.
So we we learned last week that manufactures manipulate the test data, to make it seem as though their chemical product has passed the accreditation test.
So when you are putting any chemical through a BS EN test, a pass rate of 99.99% germ killing action means that it has actually failed the test. A pass rate for an accreditation of BS EN 1276 – that being the bacterial killing is 99.999% log reduction of bacteria. Any less than 3 number 9's is a fail after the point.
So in last weeks Vlog I spoke about all the offerings available to you in a little walk around the supermarket. I invite you to go to the bleach aisle and take a look at the bottles of antibac sprays etc. The amount of bottles that advertise kills 99.99% of germs is astounding. I find it hard to understand how the manufacturers have come to this conclusion, because the only test available is 99.999% kill rate or they fail. You'd never get your test data back saying 99.99% - it just isn't done ANYWHERE! This is a dupe, and it infuriates me!
99.99% bacteria kill rate to me is 1. A FAIL and 2. Duping all the people who just want to keep themselves safe!
So we need to be very accurate in terms of what it is that we’re looking for and manufactures need to be very accurate in terms of the claims that they’re making when talking about test rates and particularly test pass rates. Which is just not happening as a whole sector.
I have put a picture below, from a manufacturer and in this picture there’s a lot of text about pass rates. Before you'd read this blog, you'd probably think yes, this is a good product. But it is just more mis-advertising.
It says.....'Independently tested to BS EN 14476' oh really ..... impressive 'kills 99.99% of germs and viruses'......hang on a minute, so it failed the BS EN 14476......that's naughty! Then it says 'tested to BS EN 1276 and BS EN 13697'.....but it still says - 'kills 99.99% of germs and viruses' .... so it failed them too? It is also saying, kills coronavirus in under 5 minutes ......oh good I'll wait 5 minutes while I spray this probably ineffective chemical (because it failed the tests!) - 5 whole minutes - to not work and then I'll just go about my business.
What kind of coronavirus is this chemical may or may not be killing, the cold, or the flu.... because I'm fairly certain from this advert alone without even seeing the test data with my own eyes it not SARS-CoV-2!
Don't even get me started on the claim about being safe for fogging....... This is the kind of information, that everybody needs to know, because without this information you would probably be duped into believing this advert that it does kill COVID-19, that it has also passed an official British Standard Assessment, but it has not.
What the manufacturer and the advertisement is saying is not incorrect, but it’s not detailed enough to provide me with evidence to believe that they are chemical is effective in killing COVID-19, and that it carries any accreditation at all, leaving me to believe that this chemical might kill nothing at all. The language that is being chosen in this advert is very concerning to me, and I wouldn't EVER stock this product.
We've created a BS EN 1276 section on our website and a newly created BS EN 14476 section. Both sections have Frequently Asked Questions so any initial queries can be answered instantly. You'll be able to find any chemical that has passed the accreditations on these sections of our website.
When we bring in new chemicals, it is only those with the strongest subject matter expertise that make the decision that it is a well researched and appropriately tested chemical that is GOOD enough to be aligned with the Astral Hygiene brand. Our honesty and integrity in this sector sets us apart, and we are proud of that.
Trust the experts, trust Astral Hygiene.
This blog was written by , Director of Sales and Operations at Astral.
Please get in touch if there are any particular topics you would like us to talk about on the blog!
