Clorox(R) Germicidal Wipes Receive U.S. EPA Registration to Kill Clostridium difficile Spores in Five Minutes; Fastest Contact Time Available

BALTIMORE, June 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Clorox Company (NYSE: CLX) announced today at the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) annual meeting that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) accepted the registration of Clorox Commercial Solutions(R) Clorox(R) Germicidal Wipes to kill Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) spores in five minutes(i).

The bleach wipe used by the most U.S. hospitals,(ii) Clorox(R) Germicidal Wipes are ready-to-use, hospital-grade disinfectant wipes and are among the strongest and heaviest on the market today.  Clorox(R) Germicidal Wipes contain 0.55% (5500ppm) sodium hypochlorite, which exceeds the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended requirement to kill many of the pathogens of most concern to hospitals. Clorox(R) Germicidal Wipes are equal to a 1:10 dilution of liquid bleach and include an odor-masking agent, specially formulated to provide fast, effective disinfecting to accommodate the most sensitive environments and users.

"The EPA registration reinforces Clorox's commitment to reducing the spread of infections and disease-causing pathogens, such as C. difficile, while providing useful and important tools to the healthcare community," said Craig Stevenson, vice president and general manager, Clorox Professional Products Company. "Clorox(R) Germicidal Wipes provide a fast, highly effective way to help keep the patient environment disinfected and is an excellent addition to Clorox's comprehensive products to kill C. difficile spores."

Clorox(R) Germicidal Wipes are suitable for use on most hard, nonporous surfaces including stainless steel and they are offered in multiple packaging options that can be adapted for use in various healthcare locations:

• 70-count Clorox(R) Germicidal Wipes (6.75" x 9" wipes) – Designed for daily, multi-surface disinfection by environmental services, as well as nursing staff. These wipes are the ideal size for general purpose cleaning and disinfecting, spills, and everyday patient room cleaning.
• 110-count Clorox(R) Germicidal Wipes (12" x 12" wipes) – Specially designed for terminal cleaning by environmental services. These wipes are among the largest on the market and are made with the goal of increasing employees' efficiency.
• 150-count Clorox(R) Germicidal Wipes (6" x 5" wipes) – Designed for nurses' everyday disinfection of clinical surfaces such as glucometers, BP monitors and more. These wipes are the perfect size for small-surface disinfection.

Growing National Concern Over C. difficile and Healthcare-Associated Infections

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) such as C. difficile, a spore-forming bacterium found in the intestines that can cause diarrhea to more serious life-threatening intestinal disease, are a growing concern in the United States. Healthcare facilities are working to reduce the spread of HAIs through initiatives such as the Obama Administration's Partnership for Patients program which seeks to reduce HAIs by 40 percent by 2013(iii).

C. difficile infects approximately 500,000 people annually(iv), and kills almost 28,000(v). These incidences rise each year, and in a recent study of acute care facilities, infection preventionists say that C. difficile is their top pathogen of concern(vi). A recent APIC survey found C. difficile infections cost U.S. healthcare facilities $17.6 million to $51.6 million every day(vii).

Leading infection prevention specialists and healthcare decision-makers support the use of bleach-based products to kill C. difficile spores as part of a larger prevention program.

"When dealing with C. difficile, patient care equipment and medical devices should be disinfected as appropriate with a bleach solution or a product that contains bleach such as Clorox(R) Germicidal Wipes," said Lillian Burns, an infection control practitioner and Administrative Director of Infection Control and Epidemiology at Staten Island University Hospital. "Germicidal wipes are convenient to use and allow everyone in the healthcare environment to participate in environmental disinfection."

The Clorox(R) Germicidal Wipes EPA registration comes just months after the company's March announcement that its DISPATCH(R) Hospital Cleaner Disinfectant Towels with Bleach were the first bleach-based wipe to receive EPA registration for C. difficile spores.(viii)  In September 2010, the EPA registered DISPATCH(R) Hospital Cleaner Disinfectant with Bleach spray to kill Clostridium difficile spores in five minutes(ix), the fastest contact time available. Clorox acquired DISPATCH(R) brands from Midland, Mich. based Caltech Industries, a national leader in healthcare disinfecting products. Through the acquisition, the newly formed healthcare business has become a leading provider of bleach-based disinfectants in more than 2,500 acute care facilities across the nation.

Clorox(R) Germicidal Wipes are part of a comprehensive C. difficile solution program offered by Clorox Professional Products Company, which also offers a C. difficile Prevention Kit featuring a protocol and checklist for terminal cleaning of C. difficile isolation rooms, information on bleach efficacy when it comes to fighting C. difficile spores, a calculator estimating the financial impact on C. difficile on acute care facilities and infection prevention training and education videos. To request a complimentary kit, visit http://www.cloroxprofessional.com/healthcenter/cdiff.shtml

About Clorox Professional Products Company

Clorox markets some of the most trusted and recognized brand names for infection control professionals, including Clorox Commercial Solutions(R) Ultra Clorox(R) Germicidal Bleach, Clorox Commercial Solutions(R) Germicidal Wipes and DISPATCH(R) Hospital Cleaner Disinfectant with Bleach Towels and Sprays. These Clorox(R) products are fast-acting, EPA registered, bleach-based disinfectants intended for use by healthcare personnel on environmental surfaces and medical equipment to help reduce the spread of pathogens that cause healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). With the acquisition of Caltech Industries, Clorox has become one of the leading providers of bleach disinfectants in more than 2,500 acute care facilities across the nation. With a deeper commitment to providing efficacious solutions to the healthcare industry, Clorox will continue to build upon its rich history of helping infection preventionists stop the spread of pathogens in their facilities. For more information, visit www.cloroxprofessional.com

(i)  C. difficile spore claim has been registered by the Federal EPA and may not yet be available in all 50 states. Check with your sales representative for updates in your state. Use as directed on precleaned hard, nonporous surfaces.

(ii)  Based on responses given by 278 EVS and IP decision makers in acute care facilities when asked to identify wipes used in their facility

(iii)  Healthcare.gov. "Partnership for Patients." Retrieved May 20, 2011 from: http://www.healthcare.gov/center/programs/partnership/index.html

(iv)  Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2008, April). Clostridium difficile-associated disease in U.S. hospitals, 1993-2005 (Statistical Brief #50). Rockville, MD: Elixhauser, A., & Jhung, M.

(v)  McDonald, L.C. (2008, June). The changing epidemiology of Clostridium difficile. Poster session presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Denver, CO.  

(vi)  Based on a survey of Infection Preventionists and Environmental Services decision-makers at 278 hospitals, when asked to "identify situations in hospitals when bleach and bleach-based products are currently used."

(vii)  Association for Professionals in Infection Control, "Intestinal Infection Afflicts 13 of 1,000 Hospital Patients; Infection Rates 6.5-20 Times Greater Than Previous Estimates, New Study Says," November 11, 2008.

(viii) Based on Federal EPA registrations as of March 2011.

(ix)  C. difficile spore claim has been registered by the Federal EPA and may not yet be available in all 50 states.

SOURCE Clorox Professional Products Company