Are all hypochlorous products made equal??

Since 2020 the popularity of Hypochlorous Acid has increased exponentially, and its explosion can only be testament to the benefits of this biocide that effectively bottles the same capability the human immune system uses to fight infection. 

This chemical is amazing, and in the right formulation, and in the right chemical state it can kill up to 99.9999% of pathogens quickly and safely.  If it is the right formulation, HOCI can be used effectively on hard surfaces, on skin and hands, in fogging machines and in some cases, babies bottles and dummies. 

This incredible chemical, in it’s pure form has been proven to kill E. coli, Salmonella, C. difficile, Coronaviruses and Norovirus faster than other disinfectants and requires no special handling or PPE.

As I’ve been talking about over the last few weeks, there are many claims made by manufacturers, which are simply not true and are very far from reality.  To manufacture Hypochlorous Acid it is deceptively simple and also a very specific science all at the same time, and although some products are marketed as hypochlorous acid, they are anything but.  Regulations are fraught with difficulty and many of these products claim to be compliant with UK and EU biocidal products regulations, but they do not have the individual EU registration that the law demands.

Our supplier has undertaken tests on ‘hypochlourous’ products and it has been found that many are actually contaminated with sodium hypochlorite (bleach) which decay fairly rapidly or they are very weak solutions which are ineffective in the presence of dirt. Simply; they are products that don’t have the correct guidance and instructions, are in white or clear bottles which allows UV light in and will destroy the molecule (if it is hypochlorous at all!); this light contamination will reduce the shelf life to less than three months – hypochlorous  must be in a black bottle! On testing, our supplier also found that some of the concoctions are in fact very potent combinations of bleach with concentrations in excess of those authorised and in some cases up to 5000ppm that are dangerous for use around people.

I’ve also had exposure to manufacturers who are selling machines with which you can ‘make your own’ hypochlorous acid; as I’ve said already how do you know that your own hypochlorous acid is actually meeting the standard of BS EN 14476 and BS EN 1276 and that you’re not just spraying around salt water?  You don’t that’s the thing, so make sure you are using a registered product, that has been independently tested and approved.

Click here to find out where we get our Hypochlorus from, and find out why it is the best! 

When developed intelligently and with scientific rigor, hypochlorous acid can be rendered safe and stable and a powerful product to fight infection across a number of industries. Aqualution technology is the only available technology that produces completely stable, pure HOCl at a neutral pH of 7.2 and at a parts-per-million concentration of 150-200ppm. This goldilocks zone gives the most optimum range for purity, efficacy, safety and stability, providing 12 months shelf-life. The products that we produce for our partners are all sold in black HDPE bottles to ensure that the product is not affected by UV, heat or agitation.

So what should you look for in an HOCl product:

• 150-200ppm
• 7.2pH
• Black HDPE bottles
• Expiry dates that do not reduce on opening
• Batch numbers to give traceability
• Aqualution Systems Ltd named as the manufacturer