Allergic contact dermatitis in a wastewater treatment worker: The role of sodium hypochlorite

Health effects of sodium hypochlorite: review of published case reports

Sodium hypochlorite is widely used as the main component of cleaners and has an excellent bleaching and sterilizing effect in living and medical environments. In addition to bleaching, it is used for wastewater treatment and for sterilization in food factories, and also for disinfectants during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study analyzed reports of the health effects of sodium hypochlorite and classified them by toxicity along the exposure pathway. Most case reports described the health effects of acute high-concentration exposure, with a common case being dental exposure, mainly during treatment.

Wound Antiseptics and European Guidelines for Antiseptic Application in Wound Treatment

Issues arising in wound healing are very common, and chronic wound infections affect approximately 1.5% of the population. The main substances used in wound washing, cleansing and treatment are antiseptics. Today, there are many compounds with a known antiseptic activity. Older antiseptics (e.g., boric acid, ethacridine lactate, potassium permanganate, hydrogen peroxide, iodoform, iodine and dyes) are not recommended for wound treatment due to a number of disadvantages. According to the newest guidelines of the Polish Society for Wound Treatment and the German Consensus on Wound Antisepsis, only the following antiseptics should be taken into account for wound treatment: octenidine (OCT), polihexanide (PHMB), povidone-iodine (PVP-I), sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and nanosilver. This article provides an overview of the five antiseptics mentioned above, their chemical properties, wound applications, side effects and safety.