Overview of Alcohol Sanitizer
Keeping your hands clean is a very important way to prevent the spread of many types of diseases. This is especially true in places like hospitals, where doctors and nurses have to make sure their hands are germ-free so they don’t pass on any bacteria or other harmful organisms to patients. One study found that in 2002, nearly 100,000 people in the United States died from infections that they caught while in hospital care, costing an estimated US$ 6.5 billion in that year alone.
Research has shown hand sanitizers can help reduce the spread of these infections in healthcare settings. However, studies have found that healthcare workers often forget to clean their hands as often as they should. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends cleaning your hands with soap and water, with antiseptic washes, alcohol-based hand sanitizers, or surgical antiseptics. Of these options, alcohol-based hand sanitizers are usually the most convenient and therefore the most commonly used in healthcare. In fact, one study found that having easy access to an alcohol-based sanitizer at a patient’s bedside significantly improved hand cleanliness among healthcare workers, leading to a reduction in the spread of infections.
But it’s important to remember that alcohol-based hand sanitizers aren’t always effective. For example, they’re not very effective at killing certain tough bacteria or if your hands are very dirty. Also, the effectiveness of sanitizer depends on a few things, like what kind of alcohol is in it (generally either isopropanol, ethanol, n-propanol, or a combination of these), how much you use, how you use it, and how often you use it.
The CDC recommends using hand sanitizers that are at least 60-95% alcohol. But put simply, too much alcohol isn’t necessarily a good thing. Why? Because alcohol works to kill germs by breaking them apart, but it needs a bit of water to do this most efficiently. So an alcohol concentration of about 80% (for ethanol) or 75% (for isopropyl alcohol) is considered best.
Most alcohol-based hand sanitizers kill germs right away, but they don’t keep working after they dry. However, some studies have suggested that by adding certain ingredients, like chlorhexidine, octenidine, or triclosan, to hand sanitizers, they can provide some protection for a few hours after use. One particular study found that a hand rub with chlorhexidine kept working against a certain type of bacteria for up to 4 hours.
Lastly, different types of alcohol have different strengths when it comes to killing germs. Ethanol is generally best against viruses, whereas propanol is generally better against bacteria. Also, a higher percentage of alcohol can be more effective at killing bacteria. Though, it’s also important that hand sanitizers include some moisturizing agents. Ingredients like glycerin and aloe vera can help keep your skin from drying out. And importantly, bacteria don’t seem to become resistant to alcohol, so it’s a good choice for repeated use in settings like hospitals.
Why do People Need Alcohol Sanitizer
Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are incredibly good at quickly killing many types of germs, and they’re easy to use because they don’t require water, a sink, or a towel. The World Health Organization (WHO) tells us that these kinds of sanitizers are effective against a wide variety of bacteria and viruses, as well as certain types of fungi. Various research studies have shown that hand sanitizers can effectively remove many dangerous bacteria, such as E. coli and MRSA, from your hands.
A report in the Journal of Infectious Diseases studied the power of alcohol-based hand sanitizers against several serious viruses including Ebola, Zika, and SARS-CoV (which causes a severe respiratory illness). They found that these dangerous viruses were also killed by the alcohol in the hand sanitizers. This is important information for health workers dealing with outbreaks of these diseases. More recently, it’s been suggested that hand sanitizers can help stop the spread of SARS-CoV-2 – the virus responsible for the global COVID-19 pandemic – by preventing people from getting the virus on their hands and then touching their faces.
Because alcohol-based hand sanitizers work against so many types of germs, and because bacteria and viruses don’t seem to be able to become resistant to them, they’re a great tool for keeping hands clean in all sorts of places. They are useful in a variety of healthcare settings, like clinics, hospitals, and nursing homes, and can also be used by anyone, anywhere in the community.
When a Person Should Avoid Alcohol Sanitizer
Generally, using alcohol-based hand sanitizers (ABHS) is thought to be safer compared to using detergents. There are not many reasons that people should completely avoid ABHS, except for those who have severe allergies to certain types of alcohols in them.
However, you should be aware that ABHS can cause skin issues. These problems can range from mild discomfort to more serious concerns. For some, the skin might become dry, itchy, irritated, or even crack. This is called contact irritant dermatitis. Allergic contact dermatitis is another reaction, where along with skin symptoms, some people might struggle to breathe.
Another less common problem, called contact urticaria syndrome, might happen with ABHS use. In this case, the skin swells, turns red, and might burn, tingle, or itch within an hour of applying the alcohol.
There has also been research to determine whether frequent use of these sanitizers can lead to unintentional alcohol inhalation and absorption through the skin. This would be in situations like for healthcare workers who regularly sanitize their hands. While the alcohol levels related to these sanitizers are generally considered safe, more research is needed to understand the long-term health effects and the potential impacts on unborn babies of pregnant healthcare workers.
It should also be noted that ABHS are not as effective as soap and water against certain germs. They don’t work well against some kinds of viruses, parasites, and bacteria, like Cryptosporidium and norovirus, which can cause severe diarrhea. The sanitizer’s effectiveness can be improved with the addition of acid, but soap and water are still usually better.
One bacterium that ABHS can’t kill is Clostridioides difficile spores. This can cause severe diarrhea and other symptoms. So, ABHS are generally good but they can’t replace the benefits of good, old-fashioned handwashing!
Lastly, individuals with long fingernails or visibly dirty hands might not get complete protection from these sanitizers.
Preparing for Alcohol Sanitizer
The World Health Organization has recommended two recipes for homemade hand sanitizers. This is based on their effectiveness against microbes (germs) and how cost-effective they are.
Recipe 1
To create a hand sanitizer with the following final concentrations – 80% of ethanol, 1.45% of glycerol, and 0.125% of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), you need a 1000 mL measuring container and:
* Step 1: Add 833.3 mL of 96% ethanol
* Step 2: Add 41.7 mL of 3% hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)
* Step 3: Add 14.5 mL of 98% glycerol
* Step 4: Fill up the container up to the 1000 mL line with distilled water and mix gently.
Recipe 2
To create a hand sanitizer with the following final concentrations – 75% of isopropyl alcohol, 1.45% of glycerol, and 0.125% of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), you need a 1000 mL measuring container and:
* Step 1: Add 751.5 mL of 99.8% isopropyl alcohol
* Step 2: Add 41.7 mL of 3% hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)
* Step 3: Add 14.5 mL of 98% glycerol
* Step 4: Fill up the container up to the 1000 mL line with distilled water and mix gently.
Optional extras may be present in some hand sanitizers, such as aloe vera for soothing skin, moisturizers to prevent skin from drying out, and some other chemicals like chlorhexidine, triclosan, acids, and different types of alcohols.
How is Alcohol Sanitizer performed
How well hand sanitizers based on alcohol work depends on how you use them and how often. There aren’t any hard and fast rules, but many experts suggest that you should squirt the sanitizer into your palm and then rub it all over both of your hands until your hands are dry. Scientific studies don’t always agree on how much you need to use. Some suggest as little as 1.1 ml (about a quarter of a teaspoon), while others say up to 3.0 ml (about three-quarters of a teaspoon). The Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, thinks an amount of 2.4 ml (about half a teaspoon) is enough. You also need to keep rubbing your hands for a while – some people say for 15 seconds, others up to 30 seconds, but the best advice is probably somewhere between the two.
When using these sanitizers in a medical setting, it’s important to be careful. Some of the machines that dispense sanitizer don’t give out enough in one go. So you might need to use more than one squirt to ensure you’re using enough to effectively clean your hands.
Possible Complications of Alcohol Sanitizer
One of the worries about using hand sanitizers that contain alcohol is that kids might accidentally swallow it. If someone swallows more than a tiny bit of this type of hand sanitizer, it could lead to alcohol poisoning. This issue was reported approximately 65,000 times between 2011 and 2014, as per the United States National Poison Data System. Several studies have shown that if kids swallow hand sanitizer, it could lead to symptoms of drunkenness and low blood sugar levels. In some cases, older kids have intentionally swallowed hand sanitizer to try to get drunk.
On top of this, using hand sanitizers with alcohol in them comes with a small risk of causing fire-related injuries. The vapor from the alcohol can catch fire easily, so it’s important to use these hand sanitizers away from any open flame. If you’re going to be near a fire after applying the hand sanitizer, you should also maintain a safe distance to avoid any burns.
There are also some skin-related problems that can occur with the use of these hand sanitizers which are typically mentioned under “contraindications,” a term which refers to factors that increase the risks involved in using a particular treatment or procedure.
What Else Should I Know About Alcohol Sanitizer?
Using hand sanitizers that are based on alcohol has greatly improved the frequency and consistency of hand cleaning in healthcare environments. Hand sanitizers are effective, easy to access, and don’t take much time to use. Even though there might be some cases where traditional soap and water could be more effective, hand sanitizers are often a good option because they encourage more regular hand cleaning. Guidelines can be made as to when it’s best to use soap and water instead of hand sanitizers. These guidelines can be adapted to different situations based on the types of germs that are most common in the specific setting.