The 1 July 2024 deadline for the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR) dossiers for quaternary ammonium compounds (quats) is fast approaching so if you manufacture or supply quat-containing biocidal products and your BPR dossier is not yet prepared, you must take action now.

The testing involved in preparing a BPR dossier can take several months to complete, and with the next deadline looming, timely action is essential to stay compliant and maintain market access within the UK and EU.

Quats are used in a variety of biocidal products, including disinfectants for surfaces and human hygiene. Highly effective at killing germs, they work by disrupting the cell membranes of bacteria and the outer layers of viruses, leading to their destruction. Due to this mode of action, they have become an important weapon in the fight against viruses, such as COVID-19.

Like all biocidal products, those containing quats must adhere to the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR). As part of this, they require a BPR dossier to be submitted to the competent authority so that they stay compliant and can continue to be marketed and sold within the UK and EU.

For ADBAC/BKC-based products (disinfectants containing Alkyl (C12-16) dimethylbenzyl ammonium chloride), the deadline for PT1 use (human hygiene) is 1 July 2024, with the timings for PT2 (surface disinfection) following a year later, on 1 July 2025.

It’s not too late to act, but preparation is key. The UK BPR is delaying some dossier deadlines, as they lack the manpower to process them all, so there is still time to generate the data required. However, dossiers must be submitted by the deadline to continue trading in the EU – so it is crucial to prepare and submit dossiers as soon as possible to avoid commercial disruption. Furthermore, by July 2025, all deadlines will pass for any product that uses quats as its only active, so we recommend you start preparing BPR dossiers for these substances too.

Testing forms a key element of the BPR dossier to substantiate biocidal claims against bacteria, yeast, fungi, and enveloped viruses, its effectiveness under dirty conditions, and to ensure that residue levels in food areas do not exceed maximum limits. We can help you with BPR dossiers at every step of the journey, from efficacy testing at our in-house laboratories, to compiling safety data sheets. If you need support, please contact us.