Chlorine Dioxide is Not a “Miracle Cure” for COVID-19
The Claim
A bleach-based cleaning agent is believed by Amazon sellers, online shoppers, and social media users to be a “Miracle Cure” for several diseases, including COVID-19.
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Emerging story
A product containing chlorine dioxide, the main ingredient of industrial bleach, is being sold on Amazon as ‘water treatment’. However, the main use of the disinfectant by online shoppers has been to treat symptoms of COVID-19, particularly in the United States and several Latin American countries.
The chemical compound is used at water plantation facilities to disinfect untreated water by killing bacteria and viruses, as well as preventing the growth of algae. This is achieved by preventing the production of protein within cells.
The medicinal use of the cleaning agent against COVID-19 was first popularised back in April 2020 when President Trump claimed that “disinfectant knocks [COVID-19] out in a minute by injection.” Thereafter, amazon vendors reported a drastic increase in sales after the President’s comments about the disinfectant. In May, the Centre for Disease Control reported in a survey that 4% of respondents admitted to gargling diluted bleach solutions, while 6% admitted to inhaling bleach vapors. Its use subsided after some states, such as Maryland, issued a statewide alert that warned against the ingestion of disinfectants. However, the claim has returned to several social media sites, including Twitter and Facebook, with users claiming that Chlorine Dioxide can be used as a treatment for COVID-19, particularly for respiratory symptoms and sore throats.
Misbar’s Analysis
The use of chlorine dioxide as a disinfecting agent in bleach and other household cleaners is an excellent tool against the disease, but only when it is used to kill viruses on infected surfaces and not once it has entered the body. Once consumed, the disinfectant compound will lead to poisoning, irreversible bodily harm, and, eventually, death.
According to Lenntech, a water solution and purification company, the effects of consuming chlorine dioxide include:
“Acute exposure of the skin to chlorine that originates from the decomposition of chlorine dioxide, causes irritations and burns. Eye exposure eyes to chlorine dioxide cause irritations, watering eyes, and blurry sight. Chlorine dioxide gas can be absorbed by the skin, where it damages tissue and blood cells. Inhalation of chlorine dioxide gas causes coughing, a sore throat, severe headaches, lung oedema and bronchio spasma. The symptoms can begin to show long after the exposure has taken place and can remain for a long time. Chronical exposure to chlorine dioxide causes bronchitis.”
Additionally, the American Association of Poison Control Centers has reported that there have been over 16,000 cases of chlorine dioxide poisoning, including 2,500 cases of children under 12. It has also resulted in serious side effects including the hospitalization of a six-year-old girl for liver failure. As such, the use of chlorine dioxide should strictly be used for inorganic surfaces, and should not be used on the body, internally or externally, for the treatment of COVID-19, or any other disease, because of its severe harm to one’s health and the risk of death.
