This time, we will talk about sterilization using ashes.
There are various methods of disinfection, such as hand washing with soap, disinfection with chemicals, and disinfection with ashes.As various countermeasures have been taken against the spread of COVID-19, disinfectants have been depleted from the sales channels for a while.In such cases, alternative methods are utilized, such as the aforementioned methods.In this review, we will be looking at the use of "ashes" as a COVID-19 countermeasure.
The study
This review will be an exploration of studies that have examined handwashing with ashes compared to soap, mud, soil, water only, or no handwashing.
Studies that answer the reviewer's questions are in the way they are done everywhere, including adults and children.We searched several possible databases for relevant studies, but we were not able to view all of the studies, and this review was done for the purpose of drawing quick conclusions.
We had identified 14 studies that evaluated ash for hand washing.Of these, only one would be a randomized controlled trial and only one small study was done comparing the use of ashes and soap or other materials.The study included people of all ages and was conducted in a predominantly low-income rural area.Another six studies provided information to help answer the reviewers' questions.One study compared children who were hospitalized for diarrhea to those who were not.
The authors of the study looked at the hand-washing areas of the children's homes to see how they cleaned their hands.They found that families that used ashes for hand washing had the same number of children's visits with diarrhea as families that used soap.Another study examined whether women with abnormal vaginal itching or discharge were more likely to clean their hands with ash than women who did not experience such symptoms.The researchers found that women who used ash and water to wash their hands were just as likely to experience vaginal itching and discharge as women who used soap.
Four studies measured bacteria on hands after using ash, soap, water, mud, or not washing hands.Because the studies used unreliable methods and their results were equivocal, the effect of ash on bacteria on human hands compared to other hand washing materials is unknown.No studies provided information on the severity of infections, including whether people used ash or other materials consistently, the number of deaths, or the undesirable effects of handwashing with ash.
Reviewer's conclusion
Based on the available evidence, the benefits and harms of handwashing with ash compared to soap or other materials for reducing the spread of viral or bacterial infections are uncertain.
Paludan-Müller AS, Boesen K, Klerings I, Jørgensen KJ, Munkholm K. Hand cleaning with ash for reducing the spread of viral and bacterial infections: a Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2020, Issue 4. Art. No.: CD013597. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD013597.
Conclusion
The results of the study were that it is unclear whether hand washing with ashes is more or less beneficial than soap.Some studies have shown that the results are similar to those of using soap, so it may be possible to clean with ash.At present, there may not be much of an environment where we dare to rely on ashes, since disinfectants have become so abundant.If there is such a thing, it would be to spread it over a large area of land, but even if we do that, we cannot be sure that the result will be as good as soap.
