Guidance Document for Demonstrating Efficacy of Pool and Spa Disinfectants in Laboratory and Field Testing

For many years, disinfection of swimming pools and spa pools has relied mainly on chemical disinfectants based principally on chlorine and bromine. The efficacy of these traditional disinfectants is well established with regard to different kinds of pathogenic microorganisms. New types of chemical disinfectants however, which lack that established record, should be shown to be effective against pathogenic microorganisms under conditions found in swimming pools and spas before they can be approved for use. This Guidance Document describes how applicants could demonstrate that a proposed new pool and spa disinfectant would satisfy the regulator’s efficacy criteria.