They authorize an airplane disinfectant that kills the Covid-19 for 7 days.

On Monday, the Trump administration granted American Airlines (AA) emergency approval to deploy a new weapon against covid-19 – a surface coating that kills the coronavirus for up to seven days.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler said the agency was issuing the emergency declaration for Allied BioScience Inc.’s SurfaceWise2 product, which allows Texas Methodist Health Group and American Airlines to use the product at some airport facilities and on some aircraft. The agency also authorizes its use at certain locations of Texas-based Total Orthopaedics Sports & Spine.

“This is an innovative step that is expected to provide more lasting protection in public spaces, increasing consumer confidence to resume normal air travel and other activities,” Wheeler told reporters in a conference call.

A new permit for widespread use

EPA issued the emergency exemption under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. Allied BioScience will continue to seek non-emergency approval for the product to allow for more widespread continued use.

The move comes as the Trump administration seeks to boost emerging treatments and protections against coronavirus, and several companies are competing to offer an effective and safe vaccine. On Sunday, President Donald Trump announced that the administration was authorizing the use of a blood plasma treatment for covid-19.

Surfacewise works by covering surfaces and continues to kill viruses and bacteria that land on them, including the virus that causes covid-19, said Maha El-Sayed, chief science officer of Allied BioScience.

American Airlines will begin electrostatically spraying the product throughout its fleet, said Chief Operating Officer David Seymour.

The EPA waiver program can only be offered in response to requests from states and other federal agencies. While current approval is limited to Texas, Wheeler said it is possible that other states and facilities may apply for emergency approval. That could allow use of the product in schools and other buildings.

“We haven’t given a general authorization,” Wheeler said, and we need to look at uses on a surface by surface basis.

By Jennifer A Dlouhy and Pat Rizzuto – Bloomberg – Yahoo