Mumbai: If you thought phenyl to be a safe disinfectant you may have to change your belief for a recent survey on doctors suggests that phenyl can be as harmful as acids.
The survey done on 200 doctors from Mumbai and Pune has discovered that phenyls can damage your liver, kidneys, eyes and skin, and adversely affect your respiratory, circulatory and nervous systems when ingested or inhaled or touched for years.
Says Dr. Nikhil Kulkarni, Consultant Physician & Critical Care Specialist, S L Raheja, Fortis Hospital, “Phenyls contain potent agents called phenols which have antimicrobial and germicidal properties. When used to clean floor surfaces, traces of these chemicals linger on in the environment for extended periods of time. Prolonged unintentional exposure, inhaled or ingested, can cause bioaccumulation and inflict serious damage to vital organs.”
Conducted by NGO Health India, the survey intended to find out how good or bad conventional household disinfectants are in the Indian context.
“During our research we came across a lot of international scientific studies which suggested that exposure to age-old disinfectants like acids, phenyls and bleaching powders in terms of physical contact, ingestion and inhalation can cause severe health consequences. When we asked the Indian doctors about this, almost all of them agreed”, said Dr. Noorul Anwar of Health India here at a press conference.
What came as a surprise was that a majority of doctors’ opinion on phenyl was similar to their opinion on acids. Some (56%) even rated it to be the most dangerous disinfectant in homes given that people are exposed to it on a daily basis. They also said that as opposed to acids, phenyls were casually handled, thanks to zero fear and low awareness levels, something that a parallel survey conducted by Health India on women shoppers also brought out.
The second survey, conducted on a randomly selected sample of 200 women shoppers indicates that a large number of people are oblivious to the fact that inhalation of and physical contact with phenyls can take a toll on their health in the long run.
The survey found that merely 9% and 21% women knew that inhalation (of fumes) and skin contact respectively can cause problems even as a staggering 85% and 80% doctors respectively opine so. Awareness with respect to acids was found to be relatively better. Nearly 45% women knew acid inhalation can cause problems. With respect to acids and skin contact, it was 100%.
Doctors are unanimous that people should take precautions both with respect to acids and phenyls. It’s better to wear gloves and masks and avoid skin and eye contact as much as possible. Reading a label, they say, can help pick a safer product. And, if a product doesn’t have a proper label it’s better to boycott it for it may contain unknown chemicals that can pose an additional health hazard.
A case in point is Rakesh Bohat. When he opened a bottle of Sunny phenyl, the effervescent liquid went into his eyes and blinded him. His medical reports revealed that some undisclosed chemicals in the phenyl were responsible for his condition. The State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission ordered Sunny Phenyl to pay the school peon Rs. 2 lacs as compensation. The product didn’t carry an ingredient label then. Strangely, it doesn’t carry one even today.
There are many such surface cleaners in the market which don’t provide proper labels on their products. Experts say this is because there are no regulations or guidelines to make labelling mandatory, and these manufacturers are having a field day selling unlabelled dangerous products to gullible consumers who believe acids and phenyls clean better.
Health India stressed on the need for proper guidelines on chemical composition, labelling and packaging of such products, which, the NGO believes, will help people make informed decisions.
“In the absence of guidelines local players are selling acids and colourful phenyls in ‘mineral water’ and ‘soft drink’ bottles with no safety locks. There are reported cases of people drinking them by mistake and landing in serious trouble, sometimes even death”, said Anwar.
He added, “Soon you may see Health India holding road-shows and workshops in various areas. In the interest of public health and well-being, it becomes our duty to apprise people of the fact and demand guidelines in this respect from the government. We shall begin work shortly.”
Source: Lokesh Shastri