IN the wake of panic buying and reported rationing of hand sanitisers and other products used to limit the spread of viruses, local public health and poison control experts are warning against combining chemicals to create home-made alternatives as they could be toxic.

The warning, which comes amidst the confirmation by the Government that there are two cases of the novel corobavirus disease (COVID-19) on the island, is a direct response to a WhatsApp voice note advising people to mix vinegar with hydrogen peroxide to keep the virus at bay.

The voice note features a man who identifies himself as “one of the most senior pest control man in the island” who has been in business for 35 years.

“We have equipment that we would just put in a house to do that, but for you as individuals, you can buy a gallon of vinegar — which is not very expensive, also a 500 ml of hydrogen peroxide — which is also not very expensive. The 500 ml would go into the gallon of vinegar and you shake that together. Then buy some small spray bottles which are also not very expensive… and use it to sanitise your areas, whether within your house, your workstations, the bathroom knobs that you have to touch,” the man said.

He added: “It’s better to walk with that bottle and spray and enter a doorway, than not have it and someone with that virus touch the handle, touch the counter, sit by your desk and sneeze by your desk, and you get infected.”

But public health specialists told the Jamaica Observer on Tuesday that in addition to being highly corrosive and potentially toxic, the mixture would be ineffective as a sanitiser because, while vinegar is used for cleaning, it is not known to kill pathogens.

“I would not advise anyone to add vinegar to hydrogen peroxide because there are synergistic effects of mixing products. They cause chemical reactions that can be dangerous to us,” said poison information coordinator at the University of Technology, Jamaica Sherika Ballingsingh. “That’s going to produce [a dericative compound of] paracetic acid, and vinegar is not used in terms of a virus. Vinegar is used as household product; some people use it to clean tiles, some use it to wash meats, but we don’t use it for pathogenic organisms.”

She explained that in scientific or food service terms, cleaning is distinguished from sanitising. The former refers to the removal of visible dirt, soil, chemical residues and allergens from equipment, utensils and work surfaces, while the latter is done to reduce the number of micro-organisms to a safe level. Sanitising is performed after cleaning.

“We’re not going to have spoiled meat and wash it with vinegar and think that the vinegar is going to kill all the bacteria in it. No!” she explained further.

“When you think about sanitising, you have to think about what it is you want to remove…You have to understand why you’re going to choose [a particular product], the purpose of it, and the specific concentration that would lessen or alleviate the harm of that particular organism,” she said, adding that the chosen product should not be toxic to the human body.

Ballingsingh, who heads the Caribbean Poison Information Network, pointed out that the World Health Organization promotes the use of sanitising agents which are 99.9 per cent effective against pathogens

“If you cannot buy the ordinary hand sanitiser, just have a small bottle of alcohol with you. Alcohol itself is very quick, safe, and it vaporises easily. It’s cheap, it’s handy, you can use it to clean phones, wipe your hands, wipe the face of a cellphone, etc. Do not try to make your own sanitisers by mixing chemicals,” she urged.

On the subject of alcohol, pharmacist Lorenzo Letts told the Observer that he overheard a shopper on Tuesday say she was planning to mix mouthwash and alcohol, ostensibly to achieve a solution with increased sanitising capability.

“I said to her, ‘Use alcohol alone, because the ingredients in the mouthwash — the colours, the dye — they might do more harm than good to the surfaces you’re seeking to disinfect. And the amount of alcohol in the mouthwash is not a very high concentration that would be effective in killing micro bacteria, and actually adding the mouthwash to the alcohol is diluting it and it will get less effective, so it’s best to use the alcohol by itself’,” he recounted.

Letts, who holds a master’s degree in public health, built on Ballingsing’s comments regarding the risk of peracetic acid, describing it as having the tendency to cause irritation to the eyes, skin, and mucous membranes.

“In general, when people make home-made disinfectants they have to make sure that they are protecting themselves; that they are wearing masks and/or gloves because they can damage the skin and eyes, etc.

“In the case of vinegar and hydrogen peroxide, mixing them creates a compound called paracetic acid…I wouldn’t recommend combining them together in the same bottle to be used as a sanitiser around the house. I would recommend hydrogen peroxide by itself, or alcohol, 70 per cent to 80 per cent alcohol, like those sold in most pharmacies and supermarkets. Spray it on the surface and let it stand for two to three minutes, or three to five minutes in the case of the hydrogen peroxide, then wipe it off or let it air dry. That’s a more effective method,” Letts said.

He continued: “Most vinegars out there have maybe five or six per cent active ingredient, but for it to be effective against certain bacteria, it would have to be about seven per cent, which is not what we have available in stores. Hydrogen peroxide, on the other hand, would be more effective because that product in particular, has been found to be effective against different bacteria and against certain viruses.”

Chief public health inspector for Westmoreland, Steve Morris, is on the same page.

“That doesn’t sound like something I would recommend,” he told the Observer after learning about the advice from the pest control operator.

“Peroxide itself is already an antiseptic, and vinegar is a weak acid. Mixing the two together in the same bottle will produce fumes. Why not just use the peroxide by itself?”

The experts reiterated that good hand washing hygiene will go a far way in keeping people healthy, as will adherence to the guidelines from the Ministry of Health and Wellness advising healthy people to maintain a distance of at least two metres from people who are coughing or sneezing; discouraging large public gatherings; and urging sick people to stay home.

Ballingsingh added that her unit can be reached at 888-POISON for guidance on mixing chemicals.