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Medical experts are warning the public of a dangerous trend that has spread on social media where people are skipping intensive care units and instead treating COVID at home by inhaling hydrogen peroxide using a nebulizer.
Hydrogen peroxide is a mild antiseptic used topically on the skin to prevent infection on minor cuts and wounds. It is also used as a mouthwash to remove mucus or soothe minor mouth irritations.
The Mayo Clinic notes that hydrogen peroxide as a solution has been used to kill the COVID-19 virus on surfaces.
But health experts warn that inhaling the antiseptic can be fatal.
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America wrote in a blog post on September 21 that inhaling hydrogen peroxide is “dangerous” and “is not a way to prevent or treat COVID-19.”
“DO NOT put hydrogen peroxide in your nebulizer and breathe it in. It is dangerous!” wrote the foundation. “This is not a way to prevent or treat COVID-19. “
The Toxic Substances Agency and Registry noted in a fact sheet that inhaling hydrogen peroxide can cause lung irritation. Ingestion of the substance may also cause stomach irritation and vomiting.
Dr Gregory Schrank, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, told USA Today that hydrogen peroxide is commonly used in hospitals as a disinfectant, but is dangerous when it is used. is inhaled because it seriously inflames the airways.
“The worry of using it in nebulized form is severe irritation to the respiratory tract with a lot of additional inflammation,” Schrank said. “If they are infected with COVID, it can really exacerbate it and cause serious damage. “
Schrank said that in the worst case, pneumonitis or non-infectious inflammation of lung tissue can develop.
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