Disinfectant database helps prevent allergies

Covid19 forces us to use more chemicals in everyday life, the frequent disinfection of hands or surfaces has therefore become part of our everyday life.

But which product is effective against coronaviruses? And can’t the frequent use of disinfectants also have a negative impact on the health of our respiratory tract, skin or our bodies of water? Finally, disinfectants are being developed to quickly kill germs and for this purpose contain biocidal active ingredients that can also be corrosive, allergy-causing, lung-damaging or environmentally toxic. Some substances even endanger the unborn child when used by pregnant women.

So which products are safest for people and the environment?  The  Viennese disinfectant database WIDES offers valuable orientation aid for all of Austria in this situation. It is freely available to everyone on the Internet and only lists disinfectants whose effectiveness has been tested and certified by independent institutions.

“With just a few clicks of the mouse, you can also identify those products that not only have the selected effectiveness, but also have the least possible impact on your own health and the environment,” says environmental lawyer Andrea Schnattinger clearly presented, each sorted according to their exposure to skin, respiratory tract, organs or the environment. ”

Prevent allergies

With the help of the WIDES database, hospitals, nursing homes, schools, kindergartens and baths in the City of Vienna have been checking the market for years. We have succeeded in replacing products that can cause allergies, respiratory and skin diseases or environmental damage without lowering hygienic standards.

In demand internationally

 The  WIDES database did not go unnoticed internationally either. After many inquiries from all over Europe and the USA, an English version including training videos was finally created. Access from all continents as well as recommendations by WHO and the EU Commission show how useful the knowledge gathered in the database is.

Disinfectant manufacturers, who were initially skeptical, are now happy to have their products integrated into the WIDES.

 The re are now more than 300 products with independently tested effectiveness, including a traffic light evaluation of the active ingredients used. Particularly problematic ingredients are visible at first glance through their red color.