Botanical Antimicrobials

12/4/2019 (Permalink)

Antimicrobials were traditionally always assumed to be toxic to humans as well as the organisms they were intended to kill.  Botanicals revolutionized the antimicrobial world by producing the very first disinfectant approved by the EPA that did not require any human health warnings on the label.  Unlike synthetic chemistries, botanicals use thyme oil as the active ingredient which doesn't affect humans.  It's deadly to microorganisms, but it's part of the human diet and regularly found as a spice in food.  Without the human health issues as a concern, the EPA didn't require the use of PPE when applying a botanical antimicrobials either.  They also didn't require it to be rinsed off after a surface application.  When botanical antimicrobials first hit the market they were lumped in with all the other "green" products and people easily dismissed them thinking they didn't work as well.  When in fact, in order for a product to make a public health claim (like "kills germs"), the product must be registered with the EPA. Botanicals went through all the same standardized testing and passed with flying colors.  That is the EPA's way of telling the public that the product did do what it says it's going to do.