French chemist Antoine Jerome Balard discovered in 1834 that when salt water is electrolysed it creates hypochlorous acid (HOCI).
The miracle-like compound was used in the trenches during WWI, long before antibiotics were readily available.
Despite proving effective against almost all known dangerous bacteria and viruses, the hurdle for mainstream HOCI usage has been the stability of the compound.
Now, British company (Solihull, West Midlands) Sanify’s technology enables a series of products that are more effective than bleach at eradicating viruses but boast the unique benefit of being 100% safe for humans.
The sanitisation range uses a unique formulation of HOCI, the aqueous chlorine solution that humans naturally carry within their white blood cells.
The compound forms a major part of the immune system and is activated when the body is threatened by infection.
HOCI is safe even if accidentally ingested, it is completely harmless.
However, it is more efficient at killing microbial pathogens – including SARS-CoV2 and MRSA – than chlorine bleach.
“Other antiseptics struggle to achieve the full efficacy required for a standard suspension test," said Sanify’s Jeffrey Bennett.
"Whereas a good and well-produced HOCI formulation can achieve 99.9999% efficacy.
"This is a 100-fold improvement compared to rival products.
"Yet Sanify items remain non-toxic, non-irritant, and PH neutral for the skin.”
Test cases:
11 year-old-girl stumbles on an unlikely cure for eczema - one that harnesses nature's power and was first used during WWI
Laila, 11, from Chigwell in Essex said:
"I have suffered from eczema for a couple of years. I had a really ugly patch of red and inflamed skin of about 50cm on my thigh that was a constant cause of concern and embarrassment to me. I tried all sorts of creams but nothing would take away the soreness and irritation - I wanted to scratch the area constantly! Then a friend of the family suggested that I try a spray called Sanify. I sprayed the area once twice a day, morning and evening. By the third day the irritation had subsided. Within 10 days the ugly rash had almost disappeared. It's such a relief to me!"
Frontline pandemic nurse:
Alexandra Braddock, 31, from Cardiff said:"I am a staff nurse who works in a very busy A&E department in Cardiff. I was on the frontline throughout the whole pandemic, when our hygiene protocols became extremely strict. I would end up washing my hands about 100 times a day on a busy shift. Like my colleagues, this left my hands red raw and sore from all the soap and hand sanitiser.
Even now, with the level of Covid cases rising and falling, we still adhere to very strict hygiene rules. So, I have been using the Sanify hand sanitiser which has really helped my hands. Sanify comes as a very light spray rather than a thick gel. It doesn’t sting or leave a sticky residue on your hands when it has dried, nor does it have the nasty
smell of alcohol that most hand sanitisers do. I also use the surface disinfectant which doesn’t leave any residue behind or have a strong smell of disinfectant. I would highly recommend these products to anyone."
“Given that we are entering a new stage in the war on coronavirus, these new products arrive at the perfect time,” said David Connor, Sanify director.
"Regular use of traditional hand sanitisers used by the NHS and schools aggravate eczema, and are toxic if ingested via the mouth - something that easily happens.
“Our most vulnerable in society, the young and the old, are most affected by the problems with standard products.
"So it is a joy to bring 100% safe and astonishingly effective products into national usage.”