2024-05-05 05:36:07
Mr. Kim (38), who lives in Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, was surprised when he used percarbonate soda for house cleaning as he had recently seen and learned from YouTube content. Mr. Kim explained, “When I poured boiled hot water into bicarbonate of soda, the resulting gas instantly entered my nose and mouth, causing me to choke and cough several times.” At the time, he was not wearing a mask. At the same time, he said, “No matter how hard I search, I can’t find out what this gas is and how harmful it is to the body.” He added, “I knew it was a natural detergent, but I’m worried that there are no health problems at all.”
Sodium percarbonate has excellent sterilizing and bleaching effects and is often used for cleaning or laundry. YouTube channels that provide cleaning-related content also agree that using percarbonate soda is effective in removing water stains and stubborn dirt. All you have to do is mix bicarbonate of soda, dish detergent, and hot water in a basin, spray it on the area you want to clean, leave it for about 10 minutes, then spray water and wipe it off. The explanation is that all you need to remove stains from laundry is bicarbonate of soda and hot water.
However, YouTube content that demonstrates the percarbonate soda cleaning method without wearing a mask is met with warning comments that it is particularly dangerous. They said, “You must wear a mask,” and “You should never pour hot water into percarbonate soda and inhale the gas.” Also, in content that describes percarbonate soda as ‘safer than bleach,’ there are many comments saying, “Both bleach and percarbonate soda are equally harmful to the body if inhaled.”
Is it true that percarbonate soda, which is considered a representative substitute for household chemical products and is recognized as harmless to health, is harmful to the body?
When sodium percarbonate combines with hot water, the gases that come out are hydrogen peroxide and carbon dioxide. Deok-Hwan Lee, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry and Science Communication at Sogang University, said, “The reason you feel short of breath and blocked when you inhale this gas is because of the hydrogen peroxide gas,” adding, “If you inhale a lot of this gas, it acts as an oxidizing agent, so it can damage your skin and cause respiratory problems. “There is a high possibility that problems will arise.” Regarding some people’s comparison of bleach and soda percarbonate on the same level, he said, “Lax is a highly toxic gas,” and added, “It is true that hydrogen peroxide is weaker than that, but it is quite toxic.”
There are many places in online shopping malls, blogs, YouTube, etc. that introduce percarbonate soda as a natural detergent. For this reason, there appears to be a strong perception that it is not harmful at all even if exposed to our bodies. However, Professor Lee pointed out, “Most of the soda percarbonate sold on the market is made by adding hydrogen peroxide to soda carbonate to make it a crystalline solid,” and added, “(The expression ‘natural’) is not appropriate.”
So what should we do to use percarbonate soda more safely? Professor Lee emphasized, “It should not be used in closed spaces,” and “It is very important to wear a mask or use good ventilation.”
On the community bulletin board, there is also an experience of people putting percarbonate soda and hot water in a container to clean a tumbler or side dish container, then closing the lid, and the lid bounced up to the ceiling. Professor Lee advised, “It depends on the temperature, but as carbon dioxide continues to come out and the pressure increases, the lid may pop,” adding, “It is not a good idea to keep it airtight.”
Jo Hye-sun, Donga.com reporter [email protected]
-
- great
- 0dog
-
- I’m so sad
- 0dog
-
- I’m angry
- 0dog
-
- I recommend it
- dog
Hot news now
2024-05-05 05:36:07