Effectivity of Scallop Shell-Derived Calcium Oxide Water in Comparison with Hypochlorous Acid and Ethanol as General-Purpose Disinfectants for Environmental Surfaces

The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted the importance of cleaning and disinfection of environmental surfaces. Bioshell calcium oxide water (BiSCaO Water) is a concentrated solution of calcium oxide derived from scallop shells and has a high pH ( ≥ 12.7). So far, BiSCaO Water has been shown to exhibit broad microbicidal activity and to be friendly to the living body and the environment. This study aimed to explore the potential use of BiSCaO Water for the disinfection of environmental surfaces compared with ethanol and hypochlorous acid (200 ppm, pH 6.2). Investigations based on adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-based swab tests and microbial count tests revealed that BiSCaO Water, ethanol, and hypochlorous acid exhibited cleaning and disinfection efficacy for various environmental surfaces, including those of wooden plates, clothes, metals, glass plates, rubber, and cowhide goods. Given that ethanol and hypochlorous acid have relatively high environmental load and adverse effects on human tissues, BiSCaO Water may be a superior disinfectant in terms of safety.