hiv blood - hydrogen peroxide

[adrian1979]

Hi all,

yesterday I was playing with my 2 years old child in the park, and suddenly he just fell down on the grass. He put his hand in some red substance, and then put this hand in his mouth. I was very scared, and thinking that this could be blood. I went to my car, and get some hydrogen peroxide 3%. Put this on that red substance and it didn't react to hydrogen peroxide (no bubble, foaming, nothing became white).  Then I got some paper tissue to clean my son, and on this paper some pink stains appear.

1) If that substance didn't react to the hydrogen peroxide, means it was no blood?
2) is there any risk from this?
3) is hydrogen peroxide a good way to test if some substance is blood (wet/dry) ?

[RainLover71]

Your son was never at risk from blood bourne viruses,1.because they can survive the elements and 2. he had no open wounds for transmission to even be a possiblity.I am talking about the HBV & HCV not HIV.

[lola099]

Hydrogen Peroxide does not ONLY react to blood, but it definately does react to blood, even dry blood. I have used to to as a stain remover and it does bubble when it reacts with the blood. It does not react with blood that has been washed and dried.
JGF is right, it reacts with  the catalase in the blood, which can also be found pretty much in all organic substances, I was told that it would also bubble up on a grass stain but I never tried that one. It will react to a cut potatoe however, very much like blood.
This being said it WILL react to blood to the best of my knowledge, but not exclusively blood. If it did not bubble Id assume that it was not blood, I would say in a park could be melted popsicle, juice, candy... who knows but my bets would not be on blood.

[adrian1979]

no risk?

[FightagainstOCD]

Hi adrian1979,

Please try to think about facts. even if it was blood it was on the grass and
exposure to sun and air would have made blood harmless.

So please do not worry if Hydrogen peroxide will detect blood. You are giving up to your obsessive thoughts. Please think about the facts. Let me know if you want to discuss more. I will be able to talk to you.

GOD BLESS and your son is alright

[JGF25]

Hydrogen peroxide can be used to detect blood.  Basically blood contains the enzyme catalase and when you add hydrogen peroxide to blood the catalase breaks it down into water and oxygen gas which is why you see the bubbling.