The Health Department has cautioned against using sodium polyacrylate — a chemical commonly used as a water absorbent in sanitary napkins and diapers — to clean flood-hit houses.
The Additional Director (Public Health), Directorate of Health Services, said in an advisory that contact with the chemical might lead to allergic reaction in the skin and eyes and it was even more dangerous if it entered the body.
The social media have been agog with videos suggesting that sodium polyacrylate, also referred to as ‘waterlock,’ would clean slush at one go. Self-proclaimed health channels on social media claimed that when the chemical, easily available at ₹105 a kg, comes in contact with water, it turns into crystals, which could be mopped away.
However, scientists have debunked the claim. Suresh C. Pillai, Head, Nanotechnology and Bioengineering Research Division, Institute of Technology Sligo, Ireland, wrote on Facebook that it is not practical to use the chemical for floor cleaning as mixing it with water would produce a gelly-like sticky substance.
It could absorb water up to 200-300 times of its mass. In murky waters, its absorption capacity will come down and the slush will turn murkier. It does not degrade easily either. The Health Department advisory has said that it could adversely affect the water-retention capacity of the soil.
Dr. Pillai said a group of schoolchildren in Hyderabad had made a video about using the chemical in floor cleaning. It was picked up by TV channels there and with the floods in Kerala, the video is widely shared in the State. He said that sodium polyacrylate was not easily available though it was relatively cheap. “Its use in sanitary napkins may not be problematic because there is no direct contact with the body. Its inhalation could lead to respiratory issues,” Dr. Pillai added.