The unrelenting pace of the pandemic has made us desperately look for solutions, and along the way made many try experimental treatments and preventive tactics. From the use of medicines like hydroxychloroquine to workaround oxygen boosting hacks, people have been seemingly trying multiple ways to safeguard their health, which haven’t had much medical backing as well. While the use of ivermectin has been put to question, some people around the use are now making the use of hydrogen peroxide as a workaround to prevent COVID-19 infection, a move which hasn’t obviously settled well with doctors and medical experts.

Although there exists no proven preventive means of avoiding coronavirus infection (apart from vaccination to minimize one’s risks), multiple people are now trying and advocating inhalation of hydrogen peroxide to ward off chances of contracting COVID, and clearing away passageways of any viral traces.

They are going to burn their damn lungs off.3% FOOD GRADE hydrogen peroxide in a nebulizer or a small syringe you… https://t.co/wAFGTHxHOw

— Ryan Graney‍ (@RyanEGraney) 1631920484000

The hydrogen peroxide claims are similar to a disputed claim which circulated in India during the second wave, where people started to use nebulizers to boost blood oxygen levels, and was later mooted down as baseless rumors.

He is Dr Alok from Sarvodaya Hospital Faridabad.He has shown an excellent technique using ‘nebuliser’ to improve th… https://t.co/Dj6aiHY3Zl

— Awanish Sharan (@AwanishSharan) 1619180909000

From screenshots and posts shared on social media, users claim that putting hydrogen peroxide ( an antiseptic chemical) in a nebulizer and then breathing in that spray mist can foolproof quash the virus and cure COVID-19 in a jiffy. There have also been purported claims from some doctors on social media, advising people with lung issues to make use of this treatment plan. The claim is getting a lot of traction amongst people in the US, which is currently battling a surge of the Delta variant. Take a look at these:

However, the social media claims are inviting a lot of criticism by experts, and one hack which shouldn’t be tried at any cost.

The buzz around the inhalation trend to treat and prevent COVID-19 even led the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) to issue stringent warnings against its use.

We explain why

While hydrogen peroxide, regularly put into use by dentists for its proven ability to fight off bacterial growth, inhaling this chemical compound can actually prove very dangerous and shouldn’t be tried at all. It isn’t suitable for medical inhalation purposes or meant to be breathed in.

Simply put, hydrogen peroxide, if put to use irrationally, can be a toxic compound which could unleash cellular damage at the base level. Since it’s unstable and not meant for medical purposes, actually inhaling the compound could enter the lung cavities, enter the cell membranes and ruin the cellular DNA permanently.

Using such strong chemical compounds can actually irritate your respiratory tract and cause long term damage too. Remember, self-medication for COVID-19 is never a helpful solution and can do more harm than good.

More so, taking in too much hydrogen peroxide (which isn’t safe to be inhaled in the first place) could enter the lungs and lead to fluid collection, which can cause pulmonary edema and impose serious breathing difficulties. Since it hasn’t been studied or known to be a safe COVID prevention/treatment strategy, it is not worth trying and could land you in a medical emergency.

Isn’t hydrogen peroxide used against COVID-19?

One of the reasons as to why the hack was circulated on social media was by people who referenced the use of hydrogen peroxide as an active disinfectant against COVID-19.

The solution sprays are often also used to clean and disinfect face masks after use.

While the chemical solution has been put into use to kill surface-level germs and SARS-COV-2 virus present on any surfaces, thereby disinfecting it, inhalation can be dangerous, and not a medically-backed solution.

Doctors also add a warning note, adding that it’s absolutely unsafe and threatening to use such agents while someone is undergoing COVID-19 recovery. Since people who have COVID also have a certain level of lung inflammation, using hydrogen peroxide in any form could make the inflammation worser, and add to serious issues.

As such, it’s always advisable to not trust any such claims which float around on social media, and go for trusted medical advice from doctors. You can continue to use the solution as a disinfection aid, or help salve minor cuts and bruises, but believing in rampant misinformation could prove to be a fatal mistake.

COVID-19 can be a serious disease which could be potentially made worse by giving such hoaxes a try, and can put your health at risk.