Why did the APVMA take action against unregistered silver and copper ion-based pool sanitisers?
Chemical pool sanitisers fall into the category of chemical pesticides and are regulated at the Federal level by the APVMA. Although the name of the APVMA refers to “Agricultural Pesticides”, the APVMA still has jurisdiction over swimming and spa pool sanitisers as well as certain other kinds of chemical sanitiser products. There are a large number of registered pool sanitiser products most of which are based on chlorine or bromine. The majority of these were registered under State and Territory registration systems prior to the establishment of the APVMA. These products are based on levels of free chlorine or bromine that meet current standards and are therefore effective when used according to instructions. In July 2004, the APVMA released new guidelines describing how new types of sanitisers could be demonstrated to be effective. (See APVMA GUIDE FOR DEMONSTRATING EFICACY OF POOL AND SPA SANITISERS (download adobe acrobat PDF – 120KB)). Note: New Guide Issued on 29 June 2007, replac
Chemical pool sanitisers fall into the category of chemical pesticides and are regulated at the Federal level by the APVMA. Although the name of the APVMA refers to “Agricultural Pesticides”, the APVMA still has jurisdiction over swimming and spa pool sanitisers as well as certain other kinds of chemical sanitiser products. There are a large number of registered pool sanitiser products most of which are based on chlorine or bromine. The majority of these were registered under State and Territory registration systems prior to the establishment of the APVMA. These products are based on levels of free chlorine or bromine that meet current standards and are therefore effective when used according to instructions. The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) took action in 2004 against a number of companies that were marketing products advertised as sanitisers for swimming and spa pools. These “sanitiser” products were said to act by releasing silver ions or copper a
