Seawater As A Sanitizer

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-sea-water-to-keep-virus-at-bay-idUSKBN2050B4


Good morning all,

Per ...

With no replenishment of virus-protection supplies, the locals use seawater as a hand sanitizer.

 

Thank you for sharing!



On the surface, it does seem like an effective idea. The high concentration of salt in seawater can be, of course a disinfect, and people have been using seawater as a cleaning product for centuries. However, when we talk about seawater vs. saltwater itself, we get a lot of variances that can actually be counter-productive. The amount of bacteria in seawater is very, very high. Even the tiniest of cuts can get infected quite easily. That gross amount is more than enough to make using seawater as a sanitizer ineffective, at least, disastrous at most. Making your own saltwater solution, or even better, using iodine, would be much better. The ocean is a huge place, with countless nastiness contained therein. Proper de-salination, and thus collecting the salt from seawater, would be safer, but that is a lot of work for a fisherman to do while he's trying to catch fish to feed his family. If you cannot get a bacteria and germ free cleaning agent, it is better to spit on it. I’m actually serious. Our saliva contains a digestive enzyme that can clean wounds and kill microorganisms. And the bacteria that we have in our saliva is already attuned to us as an organism, so will not cause any infections.

 

Good afternoon Justin,

Real interesting re saliva. I did not know this. Merci.

Understand the seawater - salt water distinction.

Here we also have brackish water.

I've actually seen people put their entire bodies into the Chesapeake Bay. If only they knew about outfitting ships and what's in the water besides being just unappetizing. The near offshore Atlantic also has some problems.

 

My father actually owns a business in the Portland area... owns a boat that sucks... literally... the waste-water (grey AND black) out of large shipping vessels... He has told me many times about the "slop" that leaks out of their holds... That enough is just plain unappetizing ....