Surfactants and Hypochlorous Acid Solution for Removal of Coronavirus from Surfaces (Final Announcement)

In order to cope with the spread of the novel coronavirus disease and to increase the options for disinfection methods using agents other than alcohol at home and in workplaces, NITE implemented disinfection effectiveness evaluations for such methods in response to a request from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (news releases on April 15 and May 1, 22 and 29, 2020).

Yesterday, on June 25, 2020, the review committee session of experts held its fifth (final) meeting and decided that the following disinfection substances are effective at removing the novel coronavirus.

(1) Surfactants

• Sodium linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (0.1% or more);
• Alkyl glycoside (0.1% or more);
• Alkylamine oxide (0.05% or more);
• Benzalkonium chloride (0.05% or more);
• Benzethonium chloride (0.05% or more);
• Dialkyldimethyl ammonium chloride (0.01% or more);
• Polyoxyethylene alkylether (0.2% or more);
• Pure-soap component (potassium salts of fatty acids; 0.24% or more) (newly added on June 25, 2020); and
• Pure-soap component (sodium of fatty acids; 0.22% or more) (newly added on June 25, 2020).

Note: METI prepared a video clip on how to make use of these surfactants (Link to related information (1)), while NITE posted a list of detergents containing these surfactants on its website (Link to related information (2)). METI hopes that many of the general public will make use of these materials.

(2) Hypochlorous acid solution (at chlorine concentration of 35ppm or more) (newly added on June 25, 2020)

(Water in which Sodium dichloroisocyanurate is dissolved should be at an effective chlorine level of 100ppm or more.)

In light of these results, METI prepared a list of disinfection and sterilization methods effective at removing the novel coronavirus as seen in Related material (1). Moreover, for details, see the materials on which the review committee session of experts discussed as well, which NITE released on its website, shown in “Link to related information (3).”

As the review committee session of experts had to urgently evaluate the effectiveness of target substances selected from potential resources to be examined in a limited period of time, there are other substances that it could not examine. Accordingly, these substances may be effective at removing the novel coronavirus. Please note that the fact that the review committee session did not select these substances as those subject to evaluation of effectiveness against the novel coronavirus does not represent any results of evaluating the substances’ effectiveness against the novel coronavirus.

Links to related information

• (1) Video clip (“Use household detergents to disinfect your household commodities”) (in Japanese)
• (2) List of household detergents containing any of the types of surfactants decided to be effective (in Japanese)
• (3) NITE’s press release (in Japanese)
• (4) METI press release (“Information on Disinfection and Sterilization Methods against the Novel Coronavirus Compiled Jointly with MHLW and CAA”)

Related material

• (1) List of the effective disinfection and sterilization methods against the novel coronavirus (in Japanese) (PDF:498KB)

Division in Charge

• Information on the review committee:
  Taskforce for Disinfection Method, National Institute of Technology and Evaluation
• Information on this press release:
  Bio-Industry Division, Commerce and Service Industry Policy Group
  Office for Crisis Management and Disaster Response, Minister’s Secretariat