Summary
A laboratory virucidal hard-surface efficacy test of a 50 ppm hypochlorous acid solution at pH 8 against murine norovirus, the accepted surrogate for human norovirus. Conducted by Microbac Laboratories Inc., Sterling, Virginia, 8–15 August 2018, sponsored by IET, Inc. dba EcoloxTech. It is the companion to the pH 5 report run over the same period by the same method.
What was tested
| Test substance | Hypochlorous acid solution |
|---|---|
| Free available chlorine | 50 ppm |
| pH | 8 — at which the available chlorine has shifted substantially towards the hypochlorite ion |
| Organism | Murine norovirus, strain MNV-G, a surrogate for human norovirus |
| Soil load | 5% serum |
| Temperature | 21°C |
| Contact time | 1 minute — the only contact time evaluated |
Result
| Replicate | Log₁₀ reduction |
|---|---|
| 1 | 4.07 |
| 2 | 3.82 |
The report’s conclusion: the solution “passed the Virucidal Hard-Surface Efficacy Test when Murine Norovirus (surrogate for Human Norovirus), containing 5% serum, was exposed to the test substance for 1 minute at 21°C.”
Read alongside the pH 5 report
The value of this report is comparative. Set against the pH 5 result — 4.57 and 5.07 log at the same concentration, organism, soil load and contact time — the pair isolates pH as the variable while holding everything else constant.
| Solution | Replicate 1 | Replicate 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 50 ppm, pH 5 | 4.57 log | 5.07 log |
| 50 ppm, pH 8 | 4.07 log | 3.82 log |
Both solutions passed the test. The difference between them is the argument for controlling pH rather than only concentration, which is why our systems are specified at a near-neutral set point rather than simply to a ppm figure. The chemistry is explained at how HOCl works, and the practical consequences at electrolysed water.
What this establishes, and what it does not
- It is a surrogate. Human norovirus cannot be routinely cultured, so murine norovirus is used in its place — standard practice, and still a surrogate.
- It is a sponsor-commissioned laboratory report, not a peer-reviewed publication. The laboratory is independent and named, the method is a recognised virucidal hard-surface test, and the full report is linked below.
- One contact time, one temperature, one soil load. The result describes those conditions and does not extend beyond them.
- It is research, not a product claim. EcoloxTech generators are EPA devices and carry no efficacy claims. Our registered product, HOCl-AS200 (EPA Reg. No. 101112-1), carries an accepted label listing murine norovirus MNV-G at a 5-minute contact time, and that label figure is what may be claimed for that product.
Study details
- Published in: Microbac Laboratories Inc.
Source
Source: Microbac Laboratories Inc.
Conditions tested
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Publication | Microbac Laboratories Inc |
Reading this responsibly
Published figures are obtained under controlled conditions, usually on clean surfaces or in defined matrices. Organic load, surface condition, temperature and application coverage all affect real-world performance. Use these numbers to design a protocol, then validate it on your own site with environmental swabbing.
Applying it
Concentrations in this range are within the adjustable output of every EcoloxTech commercial system, so implementing this protocol is a settings question rather than a procurement one. Where the claim needs to sit on a registered label, see HOCl-AS200, EPA Reg. No. 101112-1.