Health Official: Overuse of Disinfectant Can Be Harmful, No Need to Disinfect Shoes & Packages

We should all know by now that taking care of your personal hygiene and remembering to wash your hands is very important in keeping coronavirus at bay. People have been rushing to stock up on sanitisers, toilet rolls, wipes and disinfectants to kill any germs surrounding them but this may be an overreaction that is not helping at all.

According to China Daily, a senior official of Beijing’s disease control authority has informed that there’s no need to disinfect everything. Liu Xiaofeng, deputy-director of the Beijing Center for Disease Control said that disinfecting things such as vehicle tyres, the air in corridors, shoe soles, delivery packages and surfaces in the open air is an overreaction and there’s no scientific evidence that it will help.

In fact, it can even do harm as overuse can cause other health problems such as skin and respiratory irritants and hormonal imbalances. Disinfection is only necessary when there is a very high chance of pathogenic microorganisms or other harmful microorganisms in the area or surface that might cause transmission of infectious diseases. So your home should be pretty safe, unless there has been a confirmed case of Covid-19 near you!

He added that microorganisms in natural air are generally harmless and do not transmit from person to person. In normal natural conditions, how an individual can get infected is due to the direct or indirect contact with pathogens, the number of pathogens and the duration of exposure to the pathogens.

Liu explained that in ordinary households, it’s good enough to observe good hygiene such as washing your hands properly before having direct contact with food and after using the toilet. Excessive usage of disinfectants can be detrimental to health as well.

While ultraviolet lights have been known to kill pathogens, it is not recommended for public usage. Instead, he advises that frequent disinfection should only be carried out in public areas or places often contacted by hands.

There is something called overkill and too much of a good thing, so do take care and don’t overdo it!

Also read: Experts: Washing Hands Too Often & Excessive Usage of Sanitiser May Increase Risk of Virus Infection