{"id":752,"date":"2020-03-28T14:34:09","date_gmt":"2020-03-28T14:34:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/toucaneco.com.au\/?p=752"},"modified":"2022-12-07T17:03:49","modified_gmt":"2022-12-07T06:03:49","slug":"faqs-about-the-coronavirus-and-toucan-eco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toucaneco.com.au\/faqs-about-the-coronavirus-and-toucan-eco\/","title":{"rendered":"FAQs about the coronavirus and Toucan Eco"},"content":{"rendered":"
Is the solution effective against the coronavirus?<\/h2>\n
The Toucan Eco solution is proven to be more than 99.999% effective against harder-to-kill viruses than the coronavirus.<\/p>\n
However, we need to put this in context to explain what it means.<\/p>\n
There currently isn\u2019t any disinfectant or sanitiser on the market that can make a specific claim to kill the new strain of coronavirus that causes the Covid-19 disease. This is due to the simple fact that the virus outbreak only began in December 2019 and it hasn\u2019t been available to test.<\/p>\n
Currently, there aren\u2019t any accredited laboratories in the UK testing disinfectants against the Covid-19 virus (called coronavirus SARS-CoV-2). And, as it can take more than a year to get a viral claim approved by a regulatory agency, this isn\u2019t going to change overnight.<\/p>\n
For this reason, biocide regulatory agencies such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) enacted a hierarchy-based policy. This means that if a product has been found to be effective against harder-to-kill viruses, then it\u2019s highly likely to kill this one.<\/p>\n
And, a product that\u2019s likely to be the most effective will be proven to have a high kill rate (or log reduction) against at least one other non-enveloped virus \u2013 we explain what this means below \u2013 such as norovirus, feline calicivirus, poliovirus, rhinovirus or reovirus. This theory is the basis by how EPA and ECHA assesses the efficacy of biocides against viruses.<\/p>\n
Back to Toucan Eco. The solution is proven to have an effective kill rate against norovirus and poliovirus with log reductions of 5 (99.999%) and 6 (99.9999%) respectively; both harder-to-kill viruses than the coronavirus.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe best science indicates that ECAS (electrochemically activated solution) is effective against coronavirus,\u201d explains Professor Darren Reynolds (BSc, PhD), Professor of Health and Environment in the Department of Applied Sciences at the University of the West of England, Bristol.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere has been a lot of research into biocidal properties of ECAS, including its effect on a range of bacteria, spores and viruses. This effectiveness can confidently be applied to the virus SARS-CoV-2.\u201d<\/p>\n
How easy is the coronavirus to kill?<\/h2>\n
A virus is made up of a core of genetic material (either DNA or RNA), surrounded by a protective coat called a capsid, which is made up of protein. Sometimes the capsid is surrounded by an additional spikey coat called an envelope.<\/p>\n
Viruses are generally categorised into three groups based on its structure, and this relates to the effectiveness of disinfectants in killing viruses.<\/p>\n
\n
Enveloped viruses are easiest to kill. An example is influenza A virus.<\/li>\n
Large, non-enveloped viruses are more difficult to kill. An example is rotavirus.<\/li>\n
Small, non-enveloped viruses are hardest to kill. Examples include the rhinovirus and norovirus.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Coronaviruses fall into this first group and are enveloped viruses, meaning because of its spikey coat they are one of the easiest types of viruses to kill with soap and disinfectant.<\/p>\n
This lipid (or fatty) coat is its weakest link and soap dissolves the fat membrane and the virus falls apart \u201clike a house of cards and dies,\u201d explains Pall Thordarson, a professor of chemistry at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, in an article<\/a> featured recently in the Guardian.<\/p>\n