Why Bleach is the Worst Disinfectant to Use Against the Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that you perform daily disinfection cleaning for frequently touched surfaces to kill and protect against the virus. Unfortunately, many ingredients in these same cleaning products can cause serious harm to people, pets, and our environment, and some also emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which contribute to smog, ozone, and poor indoor air quality. (1)
How you disinfect your home or business is up to you. But it's important to be aware of how the cleaning products you use might affect you and others.
As the owner of an eco-friendly disinfectant cleaning products company in California, I am alarmed about the toxic and potentially deadly cleaners that are being recommended on the internet to combat the coronavirus (and also being used by companies that are putting their employees' and customers health at jeopardy while risking their financial bottom lines due to potential litigation.
Killing the coronavirus with a toxic cleaning product that is also lethal to humans, pets, and the environment is not a good plan. In fact, we may be quickly creating a massive environmental crisis with these same products. For example, the primary disinfectant being advocated to kill the coronavirus is bleach, but sadly, most people are unaware that it also contains hazardous and very harmful toxins. Because bleach can kill off most viruses, bacterias, and molds (fungi), to many people, it appears to be the best disinfectant for all occasions.
Still, the harmful health effects that it can have on humans, pets, and the environment far outweigh the benefits.
It is made with chlorine dioxide, which is a potent toxic chemical that can permanently damage your skin, eyes, lungs, and has even caused death. Bleach often appears on store shelves or Amazon in both spray bottles and 1-gallon pourable containers. Both versions of bleach are harmful, although the aerosol function of spray bottles can make bleach even more dangerous. This is because when sprayed, it is much easier to breathe in bleach particles accidentally.
Primarily when used for daily cleaning, mixed with other chemicals, and also when using massive amounts and or concentrations like what we see now with the mass disinfection program by schools, hospitals, and businesses everywhere around the world. When you use bleach in a spray bottle or fogger, you create small droplets of chlorine toxins that can easily be inhaled into the lungs by yourself and also anyone nearby such as the elderly and children.
This is mist or fog that is called an aerosol and can to get into your airways where it can cause asthma or trigger asthma attacks and even permanently damage the lungs. Also, if this product is applied in mass concentrations in broader areas and or when it is misapplied by careless workers, especially when mixed with other substances, it can be very harmful or even lethal.
Detriments of Bleach Exposure
In all its forms, it acts harmfully on biological tissues- especially eyes, mucous membranes, and organs. Because bleach is corrosive, it can seriously harm your organs (both internal and external) and make it very difficult to breathe. It severely irritates the skin if it gets onto it because it is killing cells by breaking down the skin's proteins.
When exposed to bleach, you may be in trouble if you feel the following symptoms:
Sudden coughing or wheezing
The need to throw up
Trouble breathing properly
Irritated eyes, throat, or nose
Pain in your chest
Pneumonia
Any lower or upper respiratory symptoms
The degree of exposure to bleach varies with how impacted you or others are by its toxicity. However, science deems frequent exposure to bleach as a likely cause behind asthma in both children and adults, and in even larger concentrations, it can cause death.
An example of this would be breathing in chlorine gas (that comes from bleach mixed with other products ). Or by accidentally drinking it- which young children have been known to do. So bleach is a very scary chemical to expose to yourself and others. Moreover, letting children or pets near a bleached area within 10-12 hours after you've disinfected it can put their health at risk.
A 2010 study of just under 270,000 US children (< 5 years of age) who were injured by household cleaning products found that bleach was the leading source (37%) and usually by ingestion (63%). A spray bottle was the most common source (40%). (2)
A 2011 International study discovered that professional use of cleaning products in various occupations was related to new-onset asthma. The researchers found there was a significant increase in risk for incident asthma was also observed for the group of 291 nurses who used ammonia, bleach, and/or cleaning products in spray form at work.
The study concluded that chlorine bleach was the most used product; "Both in domestic and non-domestic cleaners, the reviewed papers suggested a number of specific tasks and products that increased the risk of asthma. The most important products that have been repeatedly reported include products in spray-form, chlorine bleach, and other disinfectants." (3)
The Work-Related Asthma Prevention Program (WRAPP) in the California Department of Public Health's Occupational Health Branch tracks cases of work-related asthma as a result of chemical exposures. The agency discovered that 12.5% of the work-related asthma cases were associated to toxic cleaning products with approximately 20% having cleaning jobs, such as custodians.
More alarming is the fact that the other 80% who also developed asthma and or had their symptoms exasperate were bystanders working in areas where cleaning was occurring or recently happened. Many of these cases included many children and workers in schools. (4)
According to the California Department of Public Health, "Some ingredients found in disinfectants and sanitizers can trigger work-related asthma. They may also cause new asthma. Avoiding ingredients that can cause asthma, like bleach (sodium hypochlorite), quaternary ammonium compounds (benzalkonium chlorides), and glutaraldehyde will help prevent people from getting asthma."
This is why in the state of California that there is a new law in regards to using disinfectants in California Schools and Child Care under the California Healthy Schools Act requires special training for use in a public school or child care center. According to the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, "any school staff member or school volunteer who uses disinfectants, including disinfectant wipes, is required to take a Department of Pesticide Regulation approved training annually. Having disinfectants within reach of children violates the product label, which is against the law." (5)
Conclusion
If bleach were the only option for disinfecting your home or business, using it could be worth it. However, other disinfectants- for example, hydrogen peroxide (H202) - are a lot safer while still being effective where it matters most.
This is why using an all-natural product like hydrogen peroxide is a much better and safer alternative as a disinfectant than bleach. It still manages to kill off most types of viruses such as the coronavirus (COVID-19), while also killing most bacterias and molds (fungi) without the serious health issues the bleach can cause.
Both powerful and safe, H202 is undoubtedly the superior disinfectant to use.
With that said, please keep in mind that not all hydrogen peroxide is the same and most of the H202 products that you will find at your local store or online contain additives and stabilizers that manufacturers use to prolong shelf life and maximize profits. For general cleaning and disinfecting, you do not want to buy these products.
Instead, you should purchase what is called '“food grade” because it contains no additives, no stabilizers, and or chemicals. It is considered Kosher and all-natural/organic.
That is all we sell and why our company is called “Pure Hydrogen Peroxide.”
SOURCES:
1. CDC
3. PubMed: Update on asthma and cleaners
4. CDC
5. Occupational Health Branch California Department of Public Health -