Brief Report
Disinfectant use by K-12 school staff to combat SARS-CoV-2

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2021.08.023Get rights and content

Highlights

  • United States school staff used disinfection products extensively during COVID-19.

  • Disinfectants were frequently used unsafely.

  • Students were involved in disinfection, despite product warning labels.

  • Staff and students did not receive instruction on proper handling and use of the disinfectants.

Abstract

K-12 school staff from Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio were asked about their use of disinfectants to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in schools. Survey participants (n = 1,555) reported frequent use of disinfectants, often using unknown products, and were provided little to no training on safe and effective use. Participant concerns included student involvement in disinfection, inadequate ventilation, surface contact time, and potential health effects.

Key words

COVID-19
Teacher
Student
Occupation
Health

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Funding/support: This publication was supported by funding from NIEHS (ES02644601A1, ES016531 and P30ES026529) and by the National Center for Research Resources and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, through Grant UL1TR001998-01. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH. No competing financial or editorial interests were reported by the authors of this paper.

Conflicts of Interest: No authors have competing interests.

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