By CHITO CHAVEZ
Environmental group EcoWaste Coalition strongly pushed local government units to adhere to the findings of health experts to stop spraying or misting of vehicles, streets, alleys, and other similar large surfaces with disinfectants as this does not guarantee the killing of the COVID-19 virus.
“We urge our local government executives to pay serious attention to the precautionary advice issued by health experts and avoid the ineffective practice of misting or spraying disinfectants, which may even cause harm instead of protecting human health and the environment,” said Thony Dizon, chemical safety campaigner of EcoWaste Coalition, yesterday.
The Department of Health said in a recent Facebook post that “there is no evidence to support that spraying of surfaces or large-scale misting of areas, indoor or outdoor, with disinfecting agents, kills the virus” and emphasized that they “do not recommend spraying or misting.”
It also pointed out that “spraying or misting can cause pathogens to be dispersed further during spraying, result in skin irritation and inhalation of chemicals, and cause environmental pollution.”
The Quezon City-based group also cited the guidance issued by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention as reported in the China Daily stating that “disinfection of the open air is listed as one of the improper measures,” adding that “it may backfire by polluting the air, earth, plants, underground water, and even human body.”
EcoWaste Coalition likewise cited the statement by the US Environmental Protection Agency which said it “does not recommend use of fumigation or wide-area spraying to control COVID-19,” stressing “fumigation and wide-area spraying are not appropriate tools for cleaning contaminated surfaces.”
The Infection and Prevention Control Unit under the World Health Organization World Health Emergencies Program has also advised against spraying individuals with disinfectants for COVID-19 prevention.
