The Fate Of Sodium Hypochlorite

Tariq Ahmad Dar
On 29th and 30th March, 2020, migrant workers travelling to their home states were doused with the sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) disinfectant, apparently to sanitize them. The incident was first noticed in Barelly district of UP and subsequently the incident came under sharp criticism as social activists and the health professionals citing various health related concerns over the spraying of disinfectant on human body directly. Initially the disinfectant channels had been setup in china, where Covid-19 was first identified. But even in china, the usage of bleach to douse the people sparked a large scale criticism as it would only harm people. The government has been quick to step up disinfectant tunnels to sanitize people in public places amid Covid-19 outbreak and dousing of sodium hypochlorite has gone completely unnoticed. According to World Health Organization (W.H.O), the sodium hypochlorite can work only on surfaces, but not on human body and can also harm people. European council for disease control and prevention (E.C.D.C) and I.C.M.R has recommended the use of Sodium hypochlorite only on surfaces and not on human body. I.C.M.R in its infection guidelines, has recommended use of 1% of chemical compound to clean surfaces with blood and body substance spills and they must be left to dry. So, in the guise of all this, it will be a paramount to have a look on some of the physical and chemical properties and effectiveness of the disinfectant, Sodium hypochlorite. Let me first take u through some characteristic properties of Sodium hypochlorite. Sodium hypochlorite was first produced in 1789 by Claude Louis Berthollet in his laboratory in Pairs, France by passing chlorine gas through the solution of Potash lye (soft solution of sodium hydroxide-NaOH). Sodium hypochlorite is a chemical compound with the formulae NaOCl. When dissolved in water it is commonly known as bleach, or liquid bleach. It is frequently used as a disinfectant or a bleaching agent. It is a clear, slightly yellowish solution with a characteristic odour. Household bleach is, in general, a solution containing 3-8% sodium hypochlorite. NaOCl is very unstable for the simple reason that Cl evaporates at faster rate (0.75) grams per day from solution hence disintegrates over time. Disintegration also happens when it comes in contact with acids, sunlight, certain metals and poisonous and corrosive gases including chlorine gas. Sodium hypochlorite in solution exhibits broad spectrum anti-microbial activity and is widely used in healthcare facilities in a variety of settings. US government allows food processing equipment and food contact surfaces to be sanitized with solutions containing bleach, provided that the solution do not exceed 200 parts per million (ppm) available chlorine. If higher concentrations are used, the surfaces must be rinsed with portable water after sanitizing. It also finds its use in Deodorizing and can also be a possible option to treat the contaminated water containing cyanide such as electroplating wastes. As much as 0.25%-0.5% of this chemical is used to treat skin wounds like cuts or scraps. An even weaker solution (0.05%) solution is sometimes used as hand wash.
Although, Sodium hypochlorite finds its application at various levels of medical procedures- used as a topical antiseptic in application such as burns, ulcers, when used in such forms, its toxicity is extremely low and also finds its application in hose hold sanitization, however, exposure of Sodium hypochlorite beyond topical use, is associated with significant risks due to its strong oxidizing properties. According to Stanford University School of Medicine in November 2013, a very dilute (0.005%) solution of sodium hypochlorite was successful in treating skin damages. As much as 1% solution can cause damage to skin of anyone who comes in contact with it. It is not recommended to be used on human beings, certainly not as a spray or shower. Its ingestion, inhalation, deposition in tissues or injection in blood stream can lead to significant morbidity and even mortality. Its ingestion typically causes minor damages to esophagus, harms mucus layer as well. It also causes pulmonary toxicity- causing damage to respiratory tract due to inhaled vapors of bleach. The medical fraternity has proposed that it can cause hematological toxicity – NaOCl breaks down into water and hypochlorous acid immediately when mixed with plasma, hypochlorous acid then induces haemolysis. So, in the guise of all this, we need to pay attention to the health of individuals who are being sprayed with Sodium Hypochlorite so that we can arrest, prevent and minimize the further deterioration of the health of people who have already suffered a lot and have already been hit hard during this unprecedented health crisis the world is traversing through.
( The author is pursuing B.SC. (HONS), II YR CHEMISTRY AT AMU, ALIGARH. Views are his own, [email protected])