After seeing his daughter’s hands, the critic from Kaunas criticized the disinfection of the stairs: it turned out that the measure was not adequate

“Employees of companies operating in Kaunas, who do not have the necessary qualifications and / or experience and are unfamiliar with or do not follow biocide use labels, are likely to perform disinfections, during which, even without knowing it , uninhabited people, including children, suffer .. Stairs in apartment buildings are also affected, as their walls, windows, railings and other surfaces, when the disinfectant dries, are covered in white spots and emit an unpleasant chlorine odor, which can also be harmful. The door handle even faded from chemicals. After such disinfection, the stairwells need to be cleaned urgently, “said A. Maštaras.

Suspicions of inadequate disinfection of the stairs began when April 22. After running to meet, Oak’s ten-year-old daughter began to complain of itching and pain in her hands. When he returned home from work, he also felt an unpleasant itch, his hands emitting a strong smell of chlorine. The same stench also prevailed in the stairwell. The family rushed to wash their hands well with soap and water, after a while the oak perforation passed, and for their daughter continued for a while, her hands flushed red.

The anxious resident of Kaunas decided to find out what had happened. On the bulletin board on the stairs, he found a sign reporting the disinfection performed. Such a letter especially surprised the man, because the residents themselves had been disinfecting the staircase with safe spirit-based disinfectants up to that point.

Residents were not informed in advance of such disinfection.

“Kauno butų ūkis, who manages the house, did not even ask us to contact us. Residents were not informed in advance about the conduct of such disinfection, and after all, people were able to step out during the disinfection, then not Only their hands but also their eyes and airways could be damaged. We have verbally agreed that they will not carry out any work in our house without prior agreement with us, but the agreement is not taken into account, “said Maštaras.

However, you did not wash the surface, should you?

The next day, he called the phone number on the bulletin board in the stairwell. A customer service specialist replied, who, after being introduced to the problem, reported that the person in charge would soon contact Oak. At the end of the day, Kaunas residents received a call from Arnas Menciūnas, the head of the administration subdivision of the Kauno butų ūkio building, as they claim. This expressed his regret for what happened. When asked by the oak why residents had not been informed about the disinfection in advance, A. Menciūnas allegedly told him that he had no time for that job, as he managed some 500 managed homes.

“I asked him to send me the name of the disinfectant that was used for the disinfection. It took him almost a day to give his name. Still insisting on April 24. he (A.Menciūnas – aut. past.) sent the name and authorization of the disinfectant used. I just “forgot” to add a label for use, which says clearly: “After disinfection, surfaces that can come in contact with food and surfaces that can come in contact with the skin should be washed with water.” Unfortunately, after such disinfections, no one washes the stairs.

The most worrying fact is that during such a difficult quarantine period companies like UAB Kauno švara, working together with UAB Kauno butų ūkis, would say, in such a bold and dangerous way to the health of the population, trying to benefit from the people from the town that is difficult to quarantine. We did not ask for disinfection, they arbitrarily devised a way to make a profit, and they did so without even informing the population about the possible danger to their health, ”Maštaras continued to criticize, only to warn residents of other apartment buildings.

Claims the cheapest disinfectant was used

A. Maštaras assures that he has clarified another fact: the active ingredients of the disinfectant Chlor Clean (troclosen sodium) used by Kauno švaros are not on the official list of proven substances provided by the Ministry of Health, which effectively fight coronaviruses, including Covid -19.

“The biocide has not been proven to be tested against Covid-19. Using the cheapest disinfectant, one tablet is sufficient for the entire staircase, and its cost is only 0.5 euros. That biocide is unlikely to be very effective against that virus, and will likely require a lot of money for disinfection. Regardless of what they write in their merger briefs, using that tablet in the stairwell of a 5 or 9 story house may not have the effect of hurting people, but our house is small, just 2.5 high, so that amount the stairwell was very large and we suffered as a result.

Supposedly doing good deeds that really aren’t worth anything. In my case, one also suffers from such reckless works, “said Ąžuolas, who lives in one of the apartment buildings on V.Putvinskio Street.

This tool has been used in Lithuania for 20 years.

Živilė Leonavičienė, director of marketing and economics of the disinfection works “Kauno švara” and L.R.Tamulis, the company “Meditalika” that supplies the disinfectant, also commented on the criticism expressed by A. Maštaras.

According to her, all measures for disinfection of environmental surfaces in public facilities should be authorized as a biocide and included in the biocide database of the National Center for Public Health (NVSC). The name of the chosen measure in this case, as mentioned by A. Maštaras, is Chlor-Clean tablets, manufactured by Guest Medical Limited in the United Kingdom.

“The chosen tool is also intended for use in public institutions. The instructions for use issued by the NVSC provide information on the effect of the product on microorganisms, the working solutions of the product affect bacteria, microbacteria, viruses, fungi and even spores, so it is obvious that it is reliable and provides quality protection against viruses.

In Lithuania, this tool has been used successfully for over 20 years; Since 1997, no poisonings or other incidents have been recorded during the entire period of use. It is also used by Kaunas clinics, other personal health and education institutions, transportation and transportation, and food industry companies.

The author mentions a “list of investigated measures”. We believe that he was really referring to the Ministry’s recommendations “On cleaning and disinfecting the environment in the event of an unfavorable situation for COVID-19”. They contain a number of substances, including sodium hypochlorite, the active substance of which is active chlorine. It is the active chlorine that affects harmful microorganisms (including viruses). The scientific name of the active substance in Chlor-Clean was troclosen sodium (1.0 g of active chlorine per tablet), so it is clear that Chlor-Clean tablets contain 1.0 g. active chlorine, which kills viruses. The product also contains detergents, ”said Ž.Leonavičienė.

In Lithuania, this tool has been used successfully for over 20 years.

The choice of the tool, according to her, was also determined by its safe use, by diluting the required amount of tablets in a certain amount of water, it avoids excessive or insufficient dosing errors.

“Furthermore, when buying in conditions of extreme market deficits, when there was no choice in Lithuania or the suppliers did not have officially registered biocides in their warehouses, the measure chosen was the optimal option,” explained the Meditalika representative.

Safe to spray with water

When asked if the stairs were not actually washed with water after disinfection, as indicated in the instructions for the measure, Ž.Lonaonaččienė explained that the employees who are engaged in disinfection have several tanks: one for water and the other for disinfecting liquid. He said that all staff are familiar with the instructions for use of the biocide, so the stairs are first disinfected and then sprayed with water.

“I think conscious parents should have realized that all contacting surfaces (especially door handles and handrails) are a direct source of infection, and making sure that the child’s contact with these objects (without the use protective equipment) is limited or avoided. ” .Leonavičienė.

After asking if the population is informed about how to use a specific disinfection time, they began to teach that the contact time of the working solutions of the chosen measure (virucidal) is 15 minutes. At the end of the contact time required for virucidal exposure and after ventilating the premises, residents can use the ladder.

“Used in accordance with the instructions for use, the working solutions of the product cannot enter the eyes of the population and damage them, as well as the residual smell of chlorine. The use of the tool was evaluated, its use is allowed, for which, when used correctly, is not detrimental to human health ”, assured the representative of Meditalika.

Disinfects 500 homes

How 15min said Jonas Tumpa, a Kauno švaros public relations specialist, and the company is following Kauno butų ūkio’s order to disinfect all the stairs in the houses they manage. In total, Kauno Butų ūkis manages some 500 houses. Disinfection is carried out every working day, and the stairs in all houses are already disinfected twice.

The same disinfectant disinfects bus stops, pavilions, underpasses, waste containers, and quarantined facilities, as well as trails in parks and other public places.

“Currently, 2 brigades of 3 people work with stair disinfection. We have not received any complaints related to stair disinfection,” said J.Tumpa, emphasizing that the client of the service – “Kauno butų ūkis” – is responsible for reporting and charge the population for the service performed.

The last company to 15min questions have not yet been answered A. Menciūnas, head of the Kauno Building Management Branch, but ųkio, mentioned by the complainant, was also contacted. On May 6, he assured that he was waiting for information from the company Kauno Švaros, which provided the disinfection service.

“We will provide you with the answer after gathering all the information you have requested, we hope to do so by the end of May 11,” promised A. Menciūnas.

This tool cannot be used on stairs

15min The NVSC also requested this situation. When asked to evaluate the Chlor Clean biocide used on the stairs of the Kaunas apartments, Saulius Majus, Head of the Product Evaluation Division of the Vilnius Department of this institution, assured that the purpose specified in the Chlor Clean authorization conditions It is to disinfect surfaces, inventory, except medical devices, sanitary facilities. establishments, food industries and mass catering services. Disinfection of common areas of residential buildings is not specified in the conditions, therefore, according to the specialist, Chlor Clean cannot be used for this purpose.

“It is not convenient to use this tool to disinfect stairs. The product is intended for professionals. Its efficacy against microorganisms, microscopic fungi and viruses has been studied and demonstrated. The tool is safe to use when used by professionals in accordance with the occupational safety, health and environmental protection measures established in the authorization certificate, ”assured the representative of NVSC.

When asked if this tool, which is not suitable for use on stairs, is really effective in fighting the Covid-19 virus, Majus explained that two concentrations of active chlorine, 0.1 and 0.02%, should be used under the terms of the authorization, and against COVID-19 effective 0.1 percent. and a higher concentration of active chlorine solution. Therefore, Chlor Clean has been tested and proven to be effective. There is no evidence that this tool is the cheapest, said the specialist.

No complaints received

When asked what measures are most suitable for disinfecting multi-apartment staircases, S.Majus began to speak about the fact that only type 2 biocidal products (disinfectants) authorized in Lithuania can be used for surface disinfection , which are listed in the NVSC Biocide Products Database. It is recommended to choose a specific disinfectant from the many possible products, following the NVSC surface disinfection guidelines and taking into account the specific surface compatibility and disinfectant (according to the annex to the guidelines).

According to the NVSC representative, residents of apartment buildings where stair disinfection is planned (compatible with them) should be warned about the exact disinfection time and waiting time, the time after disinfection, during which the ladder cannot be used. According to S. Mayas, “Chlor Clean” is harmful to health: it is harmful by inhalation, it can irritate the respiratory tract and it is very irritating to the eyes.

“The product contains surfactants and adipic acid, which are not classified as likely to cause skin allergies, but, according to medical science, can irritate sensitive skin. After disinfection, the surface should be washed with water,” said S Majus.

A representative from NVSC assured that the institution had not received any complaint about the disinfection of the staircase.

Not all ladders need to be disinfected.

And can residents opt for optional stair disinfection if not inhabited and visited by a person infected with Covid-19?

“It is very difficult to know if an infected person has visited the ladder. When you find out, it is generally too late to take action. It is usually known when a diagnosis of Covid-19 has been made, which must then be transmitted to the company disinfection, after which the company must plan the appropriate work, and so on. This is how 3 or more days pass after the patient’s visit. Disinfection is appropriate only on the stairs where self-isolated people diagnosed with Covid-19, who have been in contact with the patient or who have returned from abroad In other cases, it is advisable to wash the stairs as often as possible and disinfect only the door handles, intercoms and entrance handrails to the staircase. ”S. Majus assured that disinfection of all stairways in the apartments is not necessary.

It is true that, according to him, disinfection companies do not have to consult the population about the need for the service; it is up to the competent people to decide.

Only companies that have a license issued by the State Accreditation Service for Medical Care to carry out pest control (disinfection, disinsection, deratization) can carry out the disinfection of stairs. According to NVSC, Kauno Švara has such a license.