What Exactly are ‘Green’ Antimicrobials

By Rodney T. Rees

Over the past two to three years there has been a noticeable global surge in biocide manufacturers’ claims of “green” products and logos or trade names. This has resulted from pressure from various sources, including the consumer, environmental organizations, and government, as well as the nat­ural evolution of technology and marketing. Unfortunately, many claims are far from what can be empirically designated “green,” which prompts the question of what should be considered most important for a green claim, and where should we draw the line?

In the context of the current article, an­timicrobials include the following synonyms or descriptions: preservatives, biocides (bactericides, fungicides, and algaecides) and biostats used for the purpose of preserving the functional and chemical integrity of surface coat­ings in their wet or cured states-this does not include disinfectants, recla­mation actives, (such as 2,2-dibromo-3-nitropropionamide) or their syn­onyms.