Doctor Paweł Grzesiowski, a pediatrician and immunologist, in an interview with Polsat News, dispelled doubts about the use of vodka for disinfection and protection against coronavirus. The association of vodka – disinfectant, although common, is also wrong.
Alcohol disinfects, but vodka has too little percentage
On Polsat News, a journalist asked Dr. Grzesiowski if vodka could be used for disinfection. The question may have been related to the fact that not only antibacterial gels, but also alcohols – spirit and vodka – are disappearing from the shelves. What did Grzesiowski replied?
— I do not recommend using vodka for a simple reason. If we are talking about vodka within the meaning of the definition, it is alcohol with a concentration of 30 to over 40 percent. maximum. Such alcohol takes longer to act to kill viruses than it takes to evaporate.
As explained in an interview with Medonet, MSc. Aleksandra Szuplewska, PhD student at the Faculty of Chemistry, Warsaw University of Technology – the concentration of ethyl alcohol in the product for disinfection should be at the level of 60-80%.
– Alcohol in less than approx. 60% concentration does not work effectively due to high hydrophilicity.
How to make a homemade disinfectant?
– We have 96 percent. spirit, which can be diluted with water, and then closed such a vessel, because the ethyl alcohol evaporates easily. That is why it is not used in professional means – said Dr. Grzesiowski.
An ad hoc disinfectant can be made by mixing spirit diluted with water in the proportion of 200 ml of spirit to 125 ml of water. Such a resident has approx. 60 percent. alcohol content and does not pose a threat to the skin, and at the same time has a disinfecting effect.
At the same time, doctor Grzesiowski warns against drinking or rinsing the mouth with this type of specificity. This alcohol concentration damages the mucous membranes and makes us more susceptible to infection.
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