RAHWAY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Grignard Pure today announced that its Grignard Pure™ product has received approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as the first and only EPA-approved antimicrobial air treatment solution designed to significantly reduce the viral load of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the air, where transmission is most likely. The EPA undertook a thorough review of the product’s health, safety and efficacy performance and determined that Grignard Pure is expected to kill more than 98% of the virus that causes COVID-19.
The approval comes in the form of a Section 18 Public Health Emergency Exemption. The Emergency Exemptions are initially approved for use in two states: Georgia and Tennessee. The EPA seeks to oversee a controlled rollout to ensure an effective management of supply for operations deemed essential by each state. It is expected that additional states will submit applications for Section 18 Emergency Exemption in the coming days and weeks. Grignard Pure is in discussions with the EPA to pursue a national approval which would cover all indoor activities.
“We are deeply grateful to the diligent teams at EPA who were tireless in evaluating and validating the health, safety and efficacy of Grignard Pure as the first-of-its-kind antimicrobial air treatment solution,” said Etienne Grignard, co-founder and CEO, Grignard Pure. “Grignard Pure is a passion and a mission for us. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been singularly focused on making Grignard Pure a critical component in achieving the shared commitment we all have - helping people feel safer, getting industries and our economy back to full operation, and using science, engineering and technology to find solutions that move us past the ravages of COVID-19.”
“Today, we are approving the first-ever airborne antiviral product that will help fight the spread of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “There is no higher priority for EPA than protecting the health and safety of Americans and I want to thank those – both within EPA and those outside – who have worked to achieve this important milestone.”
Under the terms of this initial Emergency Exemption, Grignard Pure is approved for use in the following listed indoor spaces (occupied or unoccupied) when adherence to current public health guidelines (e.g., CDC guidance at www.cdc.gov recommending face masks, social distancing, limited occupancy, and increased ventilation) is impractical or difficult to maintain. Areas of particular concern include breakrooms, locker rooms, bathrooms, lobbies, elevators, eating areas, and food preparation areas within:
- Health care facilities (e.g., hospitals, nursing homes, medical offices, dental offices), except the following: resident/in-patient rooms; emergency rooms including waiting areas; operating rooms; and intensive care units;
- Intrastate buses, trains, and subways;
- Food processing (NAICS 311) but not food services (NAICS 722);
- Indoor spaces within buildings, including government facilities, where people are conducting activity deemed essential by the state and allowed by the state lead agency.
“Those of us in public and environmental health have learned much about the properties and behaviors of the virus over the past nine months, as we continue to develop and recommend best practices for responding as a society,” said Dr. Jack Caravanos, DrPH, Clinical Professor of Environmental Health Sciences NYU School of Public Health, and a member of the independent and uncompensated Grignard Pure Science Advisory Team. “I’ve worked closely with the Grignard Pure team since April 2020 to assure the effectiveness of the solution. Adding Grignard Pure to a safety protocol including personal hygiene, masks and social distancing, is a critical step toward helping to restore the social, cultural and business norms we enjoyed pre-pandemic.”
Recent guidance from public health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that coronavirus is spread primarily through close contact and respiratory droplets in the air. While frequent “episodic” surface cleanings are an important part of any transmission mitigation protocol, their effects are short-lived and do not address airborne transmission. Grignard Pure can be deployed in occupied or unoccupied indoor spaces, providing continuous protection as it kills more than 98% of the SARS-CoV-2 virus particles in the air.
The Grignard Pure product has been subjected to extensive efficacy testing for SARS-CoV-2 and health & safety evaluation beginning in March 2020:
Efficacy: Testing undertaken by Microchem, a leading, globally-recognized lab for airborne virus testing, confirmed that Grignard Pure kills more than 98% of the airborne virus particles.
Health and Safety: Intrinsik, a globally-recognized scientific and regulatory consulting firm providing expert regulatory and toxicology advice, conducted a Toxicology Risk Assessment on Grignard Pure. Intrinsik’s evaluation confirmed the product is safe for use, when used as directed and exposed to a population for extended periods of time. Intrinsik conclusions: based on available data, Grignard Pure meets the requirements for classification as not toxic.
In addition, the safety of the chemicals in Grignard Pure has been examined by U.S. agencies including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the EPA.
To learn more about Grignard Pure, including access to safety and efficacy reports, visit GrignardPure.com or call 1 (855) 642-PURE (7873).
About Grignard Pure
Grignard Pure, LLC, founded in 2020, is based in New Jersey. It was, until recently, a subsidiary of Grignard Company, LLC, a manufacturer of atmospheric effect solutions founded in 1963. For more information, visit www.GrignardPure.com.
