Innokolloid CEO Alexander Vinogradov told Open Media that they temporarily stopped the production of so-called virus blockers “for ethical reasons” until the end of quarantine. The company wants to conduct additional research on the effectiveness of the fight against new viruses. Most likely, this is a coronavirus.
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The manufacturer of domestic “blockers” announced the closure after media attention, when a similar badge with a “virus blocker” from another brand Air Doctor was noticed at the press secretary of Russian President Dmitry Peskov. He told reporters that he bought it himself in a pharmacy for prevention, although he does not even know if it is actually effective.
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The domestic “Blocker” and its analogues are produced under different brands, but they work on the same principle – this is a regular badge with a porous zeolite material containing chlorine dioxide inside it. Allegedly, this gas helps to disinfect the air around the carrier and protects it from infections. Innocolloid launches the usual “blocker” model and has recently released a model for children.
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The company Innokolloid began selling “virus blockers” in early February. Alexander Vinogradov says this is not due to an outbreak of coronavirus. In general, this tool was not tested for the effectiveness of the fight against COVID-19 infection, so Vinogradov cannot confirm or deny this information.
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Although in the issue of Izvestia 78 dated March 30, 2020, a postgraduate student at ITMO University said about this domestic “virus blocker” that this tool will work against coronavirus. She explains this by saying that the active substance chlorine dioxide is a “non-specific protection option”, therefore it acts against all viruses. A video with this report and statement was published on the manufacturer’s YouTube channel.
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The advertising of domestic “blockers” does not specifically say that this remedy helps against coronavirus. But in social networks there are reports that in pharmacies, similar tools are offered to older people as an alternative to masks. There is a video from one pharmacy in St. Petersburg:
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Experts doubt the effectiveness of these “virus blockers” in principle. Innokolloid company tested the effectiveness of the “blocker” against the strain of influenza A viruses and adenovirus and found that it really cleaned the air of infection. MSU employee Evgeny Shilov drew attention to the test conditions – the substance was checked in an airtight glass vessel, even without indicating its volume. That is, these tests cannot be projected on real conditions when the badge is worn on a person’s clothes in a large room or on the street, because the concentration of the active substance in the air will be many times lower.
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