SDC kills disease-causing bacteria, viruses and fungi in two ways:

• The SDC silver ion deactivates structural and metabolic membrane proteins, leading to microbial death.
• The microbes view SDC as a food source, allowing the silver ion to enter the microbe. Once inside the organism, the SDC ion denatures the DNA, which halts the microbe’s ability to replicate and leads to its death. This dual action makes SDC highly, and quickly effective against a broad spectrum of microbes including viruses. SpectraSan 24 also exhibits extraordinary properties of stability. Previously, silver-based disinfectants had very short shelf lives – from hours to days. SDC is a stabilized silver ion complex with a shelf life of several years. The unique bond of the silver ion in SDC allows the silver ion to remain in the solution while at the same time making it more available for antimicrobial action. In addition, SDC is non-caustic, colorless, odorless, and does not produce toxic fumes. While SDC effectively kills bacteria, fungi and viruses, research shows that it is harmless to humans and animals. The EPA toxicity categorization of antimicrobial products ranges from Category I (high toxicity) down to Category IV (virtually no toxicity). At consumer use dilutions, SDC is rated in the lowest toxicity category of IV. In fact, if tap water had an EPA toxicity rating, it would also be IV. On the other hand, all traditional disinfectants fall into Categories I and II.