Health Effects and Safety of Chlorine Dioxide
Chlorine Dioxide is a disinfectant that can be used to kill bacteria and fungi. It can also be used to improve the quality of water by removing bad tastes and odors. It can be used to sterilize air in hospitals and other healthcare environments, especially when combined with ozone.
Health Effects and Safety:
When chlorine dioxide enters the body, it can cause acute or chronic health effects (see below). Acute health effects occur immediately or shortly after exposure and may include coughing, chest pain, eye irritation and feeling dizzy or seeing halos around lights. Long-term or chronic health effects can last months or years and may include irritated lungs, bronchitis, coughing, shortness of breath and damage to the developing foetus.
It can also be absorbed through the skin or inhaled through the nose. These effects can cause headaches, fever and chills, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, difficulty breathing and other symptoms.
The concentration of CDS in drinking water should be below 0.5 mg L-1 as ClO2 and less than 1.5 mg L-1 as chlorite, a limit set by the USEPA for drinking water. Drinking water with a high concentration of chlorine dioxide can cause diarrhea, stomach upset and nausea.
In a hospital, it is often used to disinfect equipment, surfaces, and rooms to prevent the spread of Legionella pneumophila, which can lead to legionnaires’ disease in people. It also helps to reduce bacteria that can cause lung infections and other illnesses in a hospital.
Despite the many benefits of MMS, there is still some controversy about its use in healthcare. In particular, some people claim that the ingestion of chlorine dioxide supplements, sometimes marketed as “Miracle Mineral Solution” or “MMS,” can cure a wide range of ailments such as autism, cancer, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, malaria, and other diseases.
While some distributors are making false claims, there is no scientific evidence that these products are safe or effective. The FDA warns that they can cause serious harm and even death.
The use of diluted solutions of chlorine dioxide for bad breath, tooth plaque, and wound healing has been shown to be ineffective. The use of these diluted solutions is not recommended because they can lead to other health issues or be harmful for people who suffer from allergies.
Unlike ozone, chlorine dioxide does not produce a long-lasting residual, but it can be safely used as part of an overall water treatment system. It also works well with other common disinfectants to minimize chlorinated organics in the water. This means that it can be used to treat cooling towers and other large-scale applications.