Fair Fair Objective Let's compare hypochlorous acid to other disinfectants....
In 2020, affected by the new coronavirus epidemic, the growth rate of disinfectant production value will be significantly increased, with a preliminary estimate of 13.70% growth rate, will drive the growth of the entire disinfectant industry, the annual disinfectant production value is expected to exceed 11.5 billion yuan.
With the need for epidemic prevention and control, 75% of the demand for medical alcohol has increased significantly and the annual production is expected to exceed 80,000 tons in 2020. Demand for 84 disinfectant liquids is currently soaring that annual production is expected to grow by 16% to 580,000 tonnes in 2020. The CCBI expects the annual production of hand sanitizer to exceed 50,000 tons in 2020.
Source: China Business Industrial Research Institute.
Check out the top 50 disinfection products in monthly sales on Jingdong, whose main ingredients are mostly alcohol, sodium hypochlorite, quaternary ammonium salt, sodium dichloroisocyanurate and p-chloromethacrylate. So how do hypochlorite disinfectants compare to these disinfectants? Today let's compare the differences in these components in a professional, fair, and objective way.
Of course, in order to make the comparison, we have to qualify it under certain conditions.
(1) This comparison is only for civilian disinfection products, medical disinfection products, such as hydrogen peroxide, glutaraldehyde and other disinfectants used in medicine are not in the scope of this comparison.
(2) Compare only chemical disinfectants, physical disinfection products, such as UV lamps, are not included in the scope of this comparison.
(3) Compare only the properties of substances, not specific products, because of differences in the stability of preparations of different concentrations or formulations and products produced by different enterprises.
(4) The main items selected for comparison are: safety, effectiveness and product use.
01
Comparison of physicochemical properties
Hypochlorous acid: liquid disinfectant, colourless, slightly chlorinated.
Sodium hypochlorite: strongly irritating, corrosive and damaging to sterilized articles.
Sodium dichloroisocyanurate: white crystalline powder, easily soluble in water, has a strong pungent odour, is prone to combustion and explosion when mixed with ammonium and ammonia.
Benzalkonium chloride: a single-chain quaternary ammonium salt, often used in combination with other components, aqueous solution is colourless transparent to light yellow liquid, slightly odorous, aqueous solution is neutral or weakly basic.
Alcohol: colourless transparent liquid, flammable, volatile.
P-chloro-xylene phenol: white needle-like crystals with a faint phenol smell, slightly soluble in water, soluble in ethanol.
Note: Para-chlorobenzophenol is the main functional component of Drip and Wilox disinfectants.
In the comparison of physicochemical properties, sodium hypochlorite is highly irritating and corrosive, because of the flammability of alcohol and the huge safety problems during transportation and storage, and the comparison lags behind.
02
disinfection principle
Hypochlorous acid: Hypochlorous acid is a small molecule that penetrates the cell membranes of microorganisms, destroys their proteins, nucleic acids and other living matter, and causes their death.
Sodium hypochlorite: produces hypochlorite in water and uses the oxidation of hypochlorite to kill microorganisms.
Sodium dichloroisocyanurate: dissolved in water to produce hypochlorous acid, which uses the oxidation of hypochlorous acid to kill microorganisms.
Benzalkonium chloride: As a cationic surfactant, it is easily adsorbed on the surface of negatively charged bacteria, changing the permeability of the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane, causing the bacterial body to rupture and the cytoplasmic material to exfiltrate, thus playing a killing role.
Alcohol: effect on protein coagulation denaturation, interfering with microbial metabolism and cell lysis.
Para-chlorobenzophenol: Acts on cell walls and cell membranes, destroys their permeability and penetrates into the cell, destroys its basic structure, allows the escape of bacterial inclusions, leading to microbial death.
The sterilization principle itself is no good or bad, but both sodium hypochlorite and sodium dichloroisocyanurate work on hypochlorite.
03
Killing microbial categories
Hypochlorous acid: broad spectrum bactericidal, kills bacterial colonies, viruses, fungi and budding spores.
Sodium hypochlorite: a highly effective disinfectant that kills microorganisms, including bacterial spores.
Sodium dichloroisocyanurate: broad spectrum bactericidal, strong killing effect on bacterial propagules, viruses, fungal spores and bacterial spores.
Benzachlorine: ineffective against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Antacidobacteria and bacterial spores.
Alcohol: medium-acting disinfectant, non-inocidal against bacterial spores.
p-chloromethacrylate: has a killing effect on most Gram-positive and negative bacteria, fungi and moulds.
Hypochlorite, sodium hypochlorite and sodium dichloroisocyanurate are all chlorinated disinfectants with a broad spectrum of bactericides that can kill a variety of microorganisms, including bacterial spores.
04
Usage
Hypochlorous acid: direct use, no dilution or blending, can be disinfected by spraying, rinsing, soaking, wiping, etc.
Sodium hypochlorite: to be diluted and disinfected by rinsing, soaking and wiping, but not by air spray.
Sodium dichloroisocyanurate: Used after quantitative dissolution in water and can be disinfected by rinsing, soaking and wiping.
Benzalkonium: generally used in combination with other ingredients and can be disinfected by rinsing, soaking and wiping.
Alcohol: can be soaked and wiped to disinfect, remember not to spray the air to disinfect.
Para-chlorobenzophenol: Generally used in combination with other components and can be disinfected by rinsing, soaking and wiping.
In summary, hypochlorite disinfectants are easier to use, do not need to be diluted and can be sprayed to disinfect air.
05
concentration of use
Hypochlorite: 50 - 200 ppm for general use.
Sodium hypochlorite: 100-1000 ppm for general use, 5000 ppm or more for blood, mucus and other body fluid contaminants and 5000 ppm or more for disinfection of excreta.
Sodium dichloroisocyanurate: 200-1000 ppm for general use, 10-20 ppm for drinking water disinfection, 3000-5000 ppm for contaminated utensils or contaminated ground.
Benzalkonium: 400-1200 ppm for hand hygiene, skin, mucous membrane disinfection.
Alcohol: the general concentration used for disinfection is 70-80 per cent, 70 per cent alcohol for hand sanitation and 70-75 per cent alcohol for general surface disinfection.
Para-xylene phenol: about 2000 ppm for disinfection of wounds, skin, floors and household surfaces, about 1000 ppm for mucous membrane disinfection and clothing disinfection.
In summary, hypochlorous acid is used at lower concentrations compared to other disinfectants because of its stronger bactericidal effect.
06
safety
Hypochlorous acid: acutely non-toxic by mouth, acutely non-toxic by inhalation, acutely irritating to the eye, irritating to the intact skin multiple times, irritating to the broken skin once; no dermal allergic reactions (i.e. 0 sensitization rate); chromosomal damage toxicity is negative.
Sodium hypochlorite: it is toxic to humans and animals, gloves should be worn when touching and using the disinfectant; sodium hypochlorite combined with organic matter in water can produce carcinogenic substances such as trichloromethane, has a strong irritating odor, is corrosive to metals and has a damaging and bleaching effect on fabrics.
Sodium dichloroisocyanurate: toxic to humans and animals, irritating to skin mucous membranes. When used to disinfect water, chlorine can combine with organic matter in the water to form carcinogens such as trichloromethane. An airborne concentration of 2.5 mg/m3 should be used with personal protection.
Benzachlorine: a practically non-toxic grade compound that is non-irritating, non-volatile and non-residual toxic in diluted application solution.
Alcohol: irritates the mucous membranes and can cause the skin to lose esters, resulting in dry, rough and cracked skin.
Para-chlorobenzophenol: Non-toxic by mouth, non-irritating to the skin once damaged, mild irritation in multiple skin irritation tests and non-irritating to the eyes. Multiple tests of vaginal mucosal stimulation, which is very mild and not subacute toxic to the experiment.
In terms of toxicological safety, hypochlorous acid is the safest, thus reducing personal protection during disinfection and increasing personnel compliance.
07
scope of application
Hypochlorous acid: can be used in medical and health institutions, all kinds of public places, food processing, restaurants, homes and other occasions, disinfection of various objects, including endoscopes, surgical instruments; sores/wounds, skin mucous membranes; air, hands, object surfaces and fabrics, fruits and vegetables, catering equipment, secondary water supply facilities, etc.
Sodium hypochlorite: can be used for disinfection of corrosion-resistant materials, can be disinfected by immersion, wiping and spraying, disinfection of drinking utensils, disinfection of fruits and vegetables, disinfection of fabrics, disinfection of blood and mucus and other bodily fluid contamination, disinfection of excrement.
Sodium dichloroisocyanurate: mainly used for the disinfection of environmental surfaces, tableware and sanitary ware.
Benzachlorine: suitable for cleaning and disinfecting environmental surfaces in homes, hotels, etc., as well as for disinfecting skin mucous membranes.
Alcohol: mainly used for hand and skin disinfection and occasionally for wiping down instruments and surfaces.
Para-chlorobenzophenol: mainly used for the disinfection of hands, skin, mucous membranes, surfaces and fabrics.
In general, hypochlorous acid has a relatively wide range of applications and can be used in health care facilities, food processing sites, home life, etc. Its main advantage over other disinfectants is that it can be used for hand, skin, mucous membrane and air disinfection.
Overall, hypochlorous acid has a significant advantage in terms of safety, broad-spectrum sterilization, sterilization ability, environmental protection, etc. Even though offline or major online sales platform hypochlorous acid disinfectant does not occupy the top of the list, but I believe hypochlorous acid disinfectant will sooner or later become the mainstay of the civilian disinfection market.
References:
Guangbo Xue, Liubo Zhang, BJ Hu. Technical specifications for hospital disinfection [M]. Beijing: China Standards Press, 2017:133-187
Note.
The above is from Electrolytic Water Technology Channel, author of Electrolytic Water Technology Channel.
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2020 05/11