Nano spray guns are being commonly used at homes and workplaces during this current pandemic but the sanitising liquids available in the market should be investigated by the Health Ministry (MoH).
The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) urges MoH to address this issue urgently because of the widespread use of nano spray guns.
Information from MoH on the sanitising liquids for these guns are scant yet such sanitising liquids are easily available.
Many of these do not declare the ingredients on their labels and some even touted “proven active ingredients against virus listed in” the World Health Organization (WHO), the National Environment Agency, and MOH.
Although chemicals may have been declared safe and efficacious by various agencies and organisations, they must also be treated with extreme care because the ‘safety’ aspect of a chemical is hinged onto the duration of exposure as well as its concentration in the liquid,” said Mohideen Abdul Kader, President Consumers Association of Penang in a press statement.
He also added that people may have an adverse reaction to a particular chemical in the liquid.
“Some of the liquids sold do not even have a proper warning label, handling instructions, the name of the manufacturer or distributor, and the ingredients and their concentration.
“As such, we do not know who and where these liquids were prepared and bottled.
“We are concerned because some people have used the gun to discharge the aerosolised liquid onto their entire body because inhalation of the aerosol may be detrimental to the person’s respiratory system, or the liquid may come in contact with their eyes and mouth area.
“Is it safe to spray onto a surface meant for food? asked Mohideen.
He added that there are traders claiming that the liquid they sell is safe enough to be sprayed all over the body.
“People may innocently share the information via social media thereby disinforming others.
“We, therefore, reiterate our call to MoH in particular to release information soonest possible on nano spray guns and the sanitising liquids that they use. It would be helpful if it can be in the form of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for a layperson to understand.
“The nano spray guns are popular items because they are perceived as a viable sanitising method for personal use at least and thus the people need to know if the chemicals they are handling are safe,” he said.