During the epidemic prevention period, Dr. Jen-Chieh Hsieh, a professor from the Department of Chemistry proposed to produce HOCL (Hypochlorous Acid Water) and actively distribute it to the entire University. Whenever he talks about this, he always smiles and says, “It is an honor to serve everyone.”
Good deeds and kindness are usually expanded gradually from small places. Dr. Jen-Chieh Hsieh mentioned that the HOCL was initially provided only to the colleagues in the Department of Chemistry for daily disinfection. After rigorous discussions with the Dean of Research and Development/Professor from the Department of Chemistry Dr. Bo-Cheng Wang, HOCL may be produced and distributed to the entire University during the epidemic prevention period, in addition to alleviating from the unavailability of commercial disinfecting alcohols, it can also save the University the extra costs spent on epidemic prevention.
Dr. Jen-Chieh Hsieh later invited other professors from the department to join the preparation team. Utilizing the equipment in the laboratory, a great amount of HOCL was produced and supplied to all departments in the University. The market price of HOCL is high but the method of deployment is not difficult. He hopes that the students from the Chemistry Department may be able to participate more so that they’ll be able to have more staff members helping out. Dr. Jen-Chieh Hsieh pointed out that no HOCL related workshops will be opened since there are many ways to create hypochlorous acid water and during the production of HOCL, gases and fumes will be produced and accidental inhalation may cause respiratory tract injuries. Thus, Dr. Jen-Chieh Hsieh suggests that people with professional backgrounds and knowledge should be the only ones producing HOCL.
He further mentioned that the HOCL provided by the Chemistry Department does not need to be diluted when received. Due to safety precautions, it may be used directly. Dr. Jen-Chieh Hsieh once asked for the advice of manufacturers that specializes in HOCL. The concentration of HOCL should be strictly controlled at 50 ppm since this is less harmful to human skin. But he further mentioned that chemicals like these may be able to assist with epidemic preventions but the most effective antibacterial method is still washing hands frequently. COVID-19 is mainly transmitted through the mucous membranes, eyes, mouth, nose, sexual organs, etc. All antibacterial related product needs time to function, washing hands for more than 20 seconds is still considered as the most effective sterilization method for bacteria and virus elimination.
Dr. Jen-Chieh Hsieh further mentioned, “Providing service to everyone is not a problem, I just hope there will be no breaches during the process of epidemic prevention. Looking at faculties and students wearing facial masks while walking on campus makes me hope that this crisis may soon die down and we may all return to our daily life.” He encourages all faculties in various departments to pay close attention to current events and try to apply their professional knowledge to daily life. He believes that knowledge contributions may benefit others and he is grateful for having assistance from other faculties within the department. Epidemic prevention allows staff members to stand on the same line, whether for personal or campus health and safety, we must all do our best and make epidemic prevention more effective and impeccable.
