However, officers at Surquillo police station in Peru effectively use chlorine dioxide to disinfect personnel and non-police personnel.
COVID-19 cases in Peru
In April, 17 police officers in Peru have died after contracting coronavirus while enforcing a nationwide lockdown. On April 24, Interior Minister Carlos Moran resigned.
Moran was previously criticized for not providing officers with masks and medical care.
Peru has a population of 32 million. As the pandemic also spread throughout Peru, over 1,000 police officers have been infected by COVID-19.
The first case was reported on March 6. Since then, the country has recorded over 594,326 infections and 27,663 deaths.
Gaston Rodriguez, the new interior minister, noted that his department had allocated $15 million to purchase protective equipment for police.
In April, Peru enforced new and unusual measures to stop the spread of coronavirus by restricting public movement by gender. Men can only leave home on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Meanwhile, women are allowed to go outside on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
On Sundays, no-one is allowed to leave their homes. Panama introduced similar restrictions earlier in April.
Peru's solution for coronavirus prevention
In the video below, viewers can see police officers and non-police personnel at the Surquillo police station being sprayed with chlorine dioxide (ClO2) to protect them from potential COVID-19 transmissions as they continue to work among the public.
According to officers, chlorine dioxide safely binds to people. The chemical compound also doesn't make clothing fade, making it a powerful tool in the battle against coronavirus. (Related: Sacramento using chlorine dioxide to kill coronavirus on surfaces, but FDA and FTC say it can’t be used for personal protection.)
Officers at the Surquillo police station shared that they feel much safer thanks to the use of chlorine dioxide as a disinfectant, particularly since they regularly interact with the public. In Peru, the chemical compound is also used as a disinfectant at different police stations, various municipalities and high-traffic markets to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
What is chlorine dioxide?
Chlorine dioxide is a chemical compound made up of one chlorine atom and two oxygen atoms. At room temperature, chlorine dioxide is a reddish to yellowish-green gas that dissolves in water.
Chlorine dioxide is used for antimicrobial purposes, such as disinfecting drinking water. When added to drinking water, chlorine dioxide helps destroy bacteria, viruses and certain types of parasites that can make you sick, like Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia lamblia.
Chlorine dioxide can be used to remove unpleasant tastes and odors in water and to eliminate algae and bacteria that produce some bad tastes and odors. The chemical compound is also used in some personal hygiene products, like mouthwashes and dentistry products, as an oxidizing biocide compound to address bad breath.
Additionally, chlorine dioxide chemistry is used for different industrial, oil and gas, food and municipal applications.
- Food and beverage production – Chlorine dioxide is used as an antimicrobial agent in water for poultry processing and to wash fruits and vegetables.
- Paper processing – Chlorine dioxide is also used to chemically process wood pulp for paper manufacturing.
- Medical applications – In hospitals and other healthcare environments, chlorine dioxide gas is used to sterilize medical and laboratory equipment, tools, surfaces and rooms. Scientists have reported that when used at the right concentrations, chlorine dioxide is can safely and effectively help kill Legionella bacteria in hospital environments. Legionella pneumophila bacteria can cause Legionnaires’ disease, a severe form of pneumonia.
Precautions when using chlorine dioxide
Chlorine dioxide is used to disinfect drinking water worldwide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that chlorine dioxide is added to drinking water to get rid of harmful bacteria and other microorganisms.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the maximum concentration of chlorine dioxide in drinking water should be less than 0.8 parts per million (ppm) and is safe to use as a drinking water disinfectant. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality has also deemed chlorine dioxide safe for use.
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