The World Health Organisation (WHO) have published their commentary on the use of disinfection tunnels for use in disinfecting individuals – and it is a resounding no.
“Spraying of individuals with disinfectants (such as in a tunnel, cabinet, or chamber) is not recommended under any circumstances. This practice could be physically and psychologically harmful and would not reduce an infected person’s ability to spread the virus through droplets or contact. Even if someone who is infected with COVID-19 goes through a disinfection tunnel or chamber, as soon as they start speaking, coughing or sneezing they can still spread the virus.
The toxic effect of spraying with chemicals such as chlorine on individuals can lead to eye and skin irritation, bronchospasm due to inhalation, and potentially gastrointestinal effects such as nausea and vomiting. In addition to health safety concerns, the use of chlorine in large-scale spraying practices may prevent this resource from being used for important interventions such as drinking water treatment and environmental disinfection of health care facilities.” says WHO in their Q&A article.
We addressed this issue in our MAY EDITION of Food & Beverage Reporter, in an indepth article from Dr Mark Kelly, Chief Scientist and Chemist at Biodx.
“To call the use of these tunnels safe can be misleading.” says Kelly, “The primary objective is to destroy the virus – that’s its job, which means it’s very toxic and can’t be taken lightly.”
Make sure to check out his technical insights in the full article on Page 30: view it here