Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => COVID-19 => Topic started by: nudephil on 27/05/2020 16:49:37

Title: Could you add soluble antivirals to the water supply?
Post by: nudephil on 27/05/2020 16:49:37

Here's a question from Sian:

I was wondering if soluble antivirals could be added to the drinking water supply - like fluoride is for teeth - to protect a wider number of people from more severe symptoms of COVID-19?

What do you think?

Title: Re: Could you add soluble antivirals to the water supply?
Post by: Petrochemicals on 27/05/2020 22:01:02

Chlorine is an anti viral chemical but putting bleach in your body is not good as chlorine is harmful to all biological life. To use medication in the drinking water would be very expensive as most water goes down the drain.

Title: Re: Could you add soluble antivirals to the water supply?
Post by: Bored chemist on 27/05/2020 22:05:52

We don't have many antivirals that are much good.
Those we have are all more or less  toxic.
Filling the water supply with them would  almost certainly produce  an increase in resistance (like antibiotic resistance).