[ad_1]
The use of booths, cameras, tunnels or spray arches for the application of disinfectants on people, which have been installed at the entrance of several hospital centers, companies, market places and shopping centers in the country, it is not recommended by the health authorities and it does not have scientific evidence to back it up.
This was just reported by the Ministry of Health when issuing a guide that does not recommend its use and that even points out possible risks.
Despite the fact that manufacturers have ensured that this system seeks to reduce the potential viral infectious contamination present on the surface of the clothing of the person who enters a certain place, the truth is that, according to the Ministry, the products used are authorized for the disinfection of surfaces, equipment, devices or waste water, and not for humans.
“The direct application on humans does not have an evaluation of the possible health risks and possible effects derived from the direct application on people,” writes the Ministry.
In the review carried out by the Ministry, the use of products such as quaternary ammonium, ozone, hypochlorous acid, hypochlorite solutions, alcohol, organic catalysts, among others, was identified, of which “it is mentioned without any basis that they are safe and do not affect people’s health”.
And what is worse, according to the technical experts of the portfolio: people who go through these systems do not receive clear and objective information about the product they apply to it or the potential risks it represents; some enter without masks exposing directly the mouth and nose; others with this element, but do not change it after the process; the disinfecting substance can be inhaled; The use of eye protection is rare and some enter with clothing that does not cover their arms and legs, causing the substance to come in direct contact with the skin.
An effective disinfection process, explains the Ministry, must consider factors such as the previous cleaning of the object, the organic and inorganic load present, the type and level of existing microbial contamination, the concentration and time of exposure to the germicide, the physical nature of the object, temperature and pH of the disinfection process. In the case of the new coronavirus, research has indicated that It can stay for a day or two on surfaces such as clothing, wood or glass and more than four days on plastic or face masks.
Therefore, any attempt to disinfect a person’s clothing would involve the formation of a uniform layer of the disinfectant on the surface for two to 10 minutes, depending on the agent. That without taking into account health problems.
However, in the case of disinfecting tunnels or booths neither the size of the drop nor the misting would allow the clothes to be fully humidified, facilitating which generates unnecessary exposure of people to the use of these substances.
Vanexa Romero – EL TIEMPO
Even in the event that this procedure becomes effective, the presence of the new coronavirus in an infected person will remain in the mucosa and aerosols, leaving the risk of contagion intact. And what’s more, go through these systems may offer a false sense of security that in some it can translate into lowering the guard against really effective measures, says the Ministry of Health.
“On the other handinstitutions are likely to reduce the frequency and effectiveness of disinfection efforts considering that the incoming personnel have been disinfected and added to this, the maintenance of these measures in the time of the pandemic, which makes them not cost-effective due to the cost of the disinfectants and the maintenance thereof, “concludes the Ministry.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently released a list of disinfecting substances that have been shown to be effective in killing the new coronavirus. There appear quaternary ammonium, hydrogen peroxide, peroxy acetic acid, isopropanol, sodium hypochlorite, octanoic acid, ethanol, triethylene glycol, L-lactic acid, peroxyacetic acid, glycolic acid, phenolic, silver ion and citric acid, hypochlorous acid. However, the health authority does not recommend any of these products to be applied to humans.
Hydrogen peroxide, sodium hypochlorite, and quaternary ammonium have been documented in contact with humans. can generate eye, nasal, dermal and respiratory irritation, among other.
In short, the Ministry concludes that “the absence of studies and sufficient and specific evidence (on disinfectant booths and tunnels) is conclusive to stop unnecessarily exposing the population to a variety of chemical products whose manufacturer has not tested and developed for be applied directly to people ”.
In fact, in other countries, such as India, Indonesia and Peru, where these systems were being used, their continuity was prohibited. And the World Health Organization already gave a clear concept in this matter: “spraying the whole body with alcohol or chlorine does not kill viruses that have already entered the body. Spraying these substances can damage clothing and mucous membranes (i.e., eyes, mouth, etc.). Both alcohol and chlorine can be used to disinfect surfaces, provided the relevant recommendations are followed. ”
Recently, the Colombian Safety Council (CCS) and the Colombian Society of Occupational Hygienists (SCHO) recommended the use of these
disinfection only in health professionals and emergency care personnel dressed in safety suits, “as long as it is guaranteed that the worker’s direct contact areas (skin and / or mucosa) are isolated
totally out of the atmosphere of the cabin and in any case its use in people is not recommended “.
HEALTH UNIT
Check here all the news from the EL TIEMPO Health Unit.
Contact us through @SaludET, on Twitter, or in the email [email protected].
[ad_2]
