Posted on Wednesday 18th March, 2020
Coronavirus and 7600 IPA Wipes
As ongoing concern about the coronavirus COVID-19 continues to evolve, the health of our customers, associates, and communities is foremost on our minds. We understand the uncertainty surrounding this coronavirus and are committed to being responsive to the needs of our customers and associates as best we can within our limits.
Many of you have asked about our products, and we hope this recap is helpful as you take measures to stay safe in your work and home environments.
Several ACL Staticide® products contain isopropyl alcohol which is recognized as an effective tool for disinfecting surfaces and combating viruses such as influenza. While we intend our products to be used in industrial and electronics sectors, we realize there may be a desire for certain products, such as the 7600 IPA Cleaning Wipes, to be used in applications beyond the original purpose.
Our 7600 IPA Cleaning Wipes are manufactured in a facility certified to ISO 22716 for Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). They are not made in a pharmaceutical-grade cleanroom. The low-lint wiper is 70% isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and 30% deionized water. The IPA in the product meets United States Pharmacopeia and National Formulary (USP-NF) standards. This product’s intended use is for electronics manufacturing; so our aim is purity and industrial cleanliness. Although these wipes meet USP-NF requirements, we do not market this product for food, drug, or medicinal use, as there may be other requirements for those applications that we are not familiar with.
You may be wondering if 7600 IPA Cleaning Wipes can be used to disinfect ESD mats? Although we know that IPA can work to weaken and break down the cell walls of viruses in a similar fashion as soap, ACL does not recommend either for cleaning ESD-safe mats. Prolonged and repeated use of alcohol as a disinfectant can lead to discoloration, swelling, hardening, and cracking of rubber and certain plastics.1 Soaps can leave a scum or residue. For cleaning dissipative mats, ACL recommends using 6001 Mat & Table Top Cleaner. If customers choose to use alcohol to disinfect anti-static mats, please understand that the life of the mat will be shortened and the electrical properties could be compromised.
At this time, the Food & Drug Administration has not validated a particular disinfectant that uses isopropyl alcohol as the main active ingredient.2 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, “Isopropyl alcohol and ethyl alcohol have been excluded as high-level disinfectants because of their inability to inactivate bacterial spores and because of the inability of isopropyl alcohol to inactivate hydrophilic viruses (i.e., poliovirus, Coxsackie virus).” In addition, they state that 70% IPA should not be used to sterilize certain equipment because it will not prevent the spread of certain viruses. While news outlets recommend using 70% IPA as a disinfectant, and ACL agrees that IPA can be used as part of a GMP program, it does not replace washing your hands repeatedly with soap and water as only a small amount of soap is needed to dissolve the fat membrane of the virus.
We hope this information is helpful when considering extended product applications at this challenging time. If you have any questions about any of our products, please contact us at 800-782-8420.
1 “Use of Disinfectants: Alcohol and Bleach.” Infection Prevention and Control of Epidemic- and Pandemic-Prone Acute Respiratory Infections in Health Care. U.S. National Library of Medicine, January 1, 1970. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/b...
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