Product Types

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The Biocidal Products Regulation defines 22 “product-types”, divided into four main groups: disinfectants, preservatives, pest control, and other biocidal products. Active substances must be supported for specific product-types when applications for their approval are made. Subsequently, only products of those product-types for which the active has been approved will be authorised under the Regulation. 

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 The 22 product-types and their descriptions are listed in the table below. 

NumberProduct-typeDescription
Main Group 1: Disinfectants
1 Human hygiene Biocidal products used for human hygiene purposes, applied on or in contact with human skin or scalps for the primary purpose of disinfecting the skin or scalp
2 Disinfectants and algaecides not intended for direct application to humans or animals Products used for the disinfection of surfaces, materials, equipment and furniture which are not used for direct contact with food or feeding stuffs. Usage areas include inter alia, swimming pools, aquariums, bathing and other waters, air conditioning systems; walls and floors in private, public and industrial areas and in other areas for professional activities. Products used for disinfection of air, water not used for human or animal consumption, chemical toilets, waste water, hospital waste and soil. Products used as algaecides for treatment of swimming pools, aquariums and other waters and for remedial treatment of construction materials. Products used to be incorporated in textiles, tissues, masks, paints and other articles or materials with the purpose of producing treated articles with disinfecting properties
3 Veterinary hygiene Products used for veterinary hygiene purposes such as disinfectants, disinfecting soaps, oral or corporal hygiene products or with anti-microbial function. Products used to disinfect the materials and surfaces associated with the housing or transportation of animals
4 Food and feed area Products used for the disinfection of equipment, containers, consumption utensils, surfaces or pipework associated with the production, transport, storage, or consumption of food or feed (including drinking water) for humans and animals. Products used to impregnate materials that may enter into contact with food
5 Drinking water Products used for the disinfection of drinking water for both humans and animals
Main Group 2: Preservatives
6 Preservatives for products during storage Products used for the preservation of manufactured products, other than foodstuffs, feeding stuffs, cosmetics or medicinal products or medical devices by control of microbial deterioration to ensure their shelf life. Products used as preservatives for the storage or use of rodenticide, insecticide or other baits
7 Film preservatives Products used for the preservation of films or coatings by the control of microbial deterioration or algal growth in order to protect the initial properties of the surface of materials or objects such as paints, plastics, sealants, wall adhesives, binds, paper, art works
8 Wood preservatives Products used for the preservation of wood, from and including saw-mill stage, and wood products by the control of wood-destroying or wood-disfiguring organisms, including insects. This product-type includes both preventative and curative products
9 Fibre, leather, rubber and polymerised materials preservatives Products used for the preservation of fibrous or polymerised materials, such as leather, rubber or paper or textile products by the control of microbiological deterioration. This product-type includes biocidal products which antagonise the settlement of micro-organisms on the surface of materials and therefore hamper or prevent the development of odour and/or offer other kinds of benefits
10 Construction material preservatives Products used for the preservation of masonry, composite materials or other construction materials other than wood by the control of microbiological and algal attack
11 Preservatives for liquid-cooling and processing systems Products used for the preservation of water and other liquids used in cooling and processing systems by the control of harmful organisms such as microbes, algae and mussels. Products used for the disinfection of drinking water or of water for swimming pools are not included in this product-type
12 Slimicides Products used for the prevention or control of slime growth on materials, equipment and structures, used in industrial processes, e.g. on wood and paper pulp, and porous sand strata in oil extraction
13 Working or cutting fluid preservatives Products to control microbial deterioration in fluids used for working or cutting metal, glass or other materials
Main Group 3: Pest Control
14 Rodenticides Products used for the control of mice, rats or other rodents by means other than repulsion or attraction
15 Avicides Products used for the control of birds, by means other than repulsion or attraction
16 Molluscicides, vermicides and products to control other vertebrates Products used for the control of molluscs, worms and invertebrates not covered by other product-types, by means other than repulsion or attraction
17 Piscicides Products used for the control of fish, by means other than repulsion or attraction
18 Insecticides, acaricides and products to control other arthropods Products used for the control of arthropods (e.g. insects, arachnids and crustaceans) by means other than repulsion or attraction
19 Repellents or attractants Products used to control harmful organisms (invertebrates such as fleas, vertebrates such as birds, fish, rodents), by repelling or attracting, including those that are used for human or veterinary hygiene either directly on the skin or indirectly in the environment of humans or animals
20 Control of other vertebrates Products used for the control of vertebrates other than those already covered by the other product-types of this main group, by means other than repulsion or attraction
Main Group 4: Other Biocidal Products
21 Antifouling products Products used to control growth and settlement of fouling organisms (microbes and higher forms of plant and animal species) on vessels, aquaculture equipment or other structures used in water
22 Embalming or taxidermist fluids Products used for the disinfection and preservation of human or animal corpses, or parts thereof

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