What is Diphoterine®?
The world's leading active chemical first aid solution — not just a rinse
Diphoterine® is a specialist, active washing solution designed to stop chemical burns to skin and eyes as quickly as possible after a splash or spill. Unlike water or saline, which simply rinse and dilute the surface, Diphoterine® actively intervenes in the injury process — removing the chemical, limiting its spread into tissue, and rendering it harmless.
It is a Class IIa certified medical device, registered for use across Europe and the UK. It is sterile, non-toxic, non-allergenic, and phosphate-free. Diphoterine® has been used in industrial and clinical settings for over 30 years and is trusted by leading organisations across pharmaceutical manufacturing, food production, chemical processing, emergency services, and many other sectors where corrosive chemicals are handled daily.
How Diphoterine® Works
When a corrosive chemical contacts skin or eyes, damage can begin within 10 seconds as the chemical starts diffusing through the outer tissue layers into the deeper layers beneath. Water removes what is on the surface — but it cannot stop what is already moving inward. Diphoterine® addresses both problems simultaneously through three linked mechanisms:
1. Mechanical Washing Diphoterine® flushes the chemical from the tissue surface, removing immediate surface contamination in the same way water does.
2. Hypertonic Osmotic Draw Diphoterine® is more concentrated than tissue fluid. This concentration difference creates an osmotic draw — a pulling force — that actively draws diffused chemicals back out of tissue rather than allowing them to continue inward. Water is hypotonic and works in the opposite direction, potentially assisting chemical diffusion into tissue.
3. Amphoteric and Chelating Action Diphoterine® actively binds the chemical aggressor and renders it harmless. Its amphoteric properties allow it to act against both acidic and alkaline substances, while its chelating action locks onto the chemical molecule and prevents further tissue interaction. Together these properties make Diphoterine® effective across all seven major classes of chemical aggressor — without the person treating the injury needing to identify the substance first.
What chemicals does Diphoterine® work on?
Diphoterine® is active against all seven major classes of chemical aggressor:
- Acids
- Bases (alkalis)
- Oxidising agents
- Reducing agents
- Chelating agents
- Solvents
- Alkylating agents
Tests have shown Diphoterine® to be more effective than water:
| Advantages | Water | Diphoterine® |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Washing | ||
| Polyvalent | ||
| Non Toxic | ||
| Sterile | ||
| Hypertonic | ||
| Amphoteric | ||
| Chelating | ||
| Neutralising |
Safety and Certification
Diphoterine® has been independently tested and certified as follows:
- Non-irritant to eyes — Graefe's Arch Exp Ophthalmol 202.240.308–313 / Safepharm Laboratories Limited UK 133/4
- Non-irritant to skin — Integra, Italy 2005-024
- Non-cytotoxic — Integra, Italy REL/003/06/IRRC/ELB, ISO 10993-5 standard
- Non-sensitising — CERB, France 20030418ST
Diphoterine® systems conform with EN15154 Parts 3 and 4 — the European Standards for Emergency Eye and Skin Decontamination Equipment.
Clinical Evidence
Independent clinical and field studies consistently support the advantage of Diphoterine® over water for chemical decontamination:
- A UK specialist burns centre study found significantly greater wound pH recovery with Diphoterine® compared to water — pH change of 1.076 versus 0.4 (p<0.05)
- A UK eye injury case series found Diphoterine® achieved significant pH correction — where prior saline irrigation had failed — using a mean of just 520ml compared to 2,700ml of saline
- Three out of four published human studies measuring pain found Diphoterine® reduced it more effectively than water
- Laboratory studies show up to 17 times less Diphoterine® than water is required to restore normal tissue pH