But It Smells Good!
We stash it in the glovebox, in our backpacks and handbags. There’s a ginormous jug of it sitting in our kids’ classrooms at school. Stores sell it in mouthwatering scents (cucumber melon!). And it gives us piece of mind that with each squirt we are protecting our children from illness.
Not necessarily.
The newspaper often goes from our driveway directly to the recycle bin because the content is just plain depressing. However, I happened to pick through it recently and immediately catching my eye was the headline:
Hand sanitizers dirty record; let soap do the job
We all know good old fashioned soap and water are best for keeping our hands clean and germs away. But a sink is not always accessible, nor is hand washing always possible. In my previous career I dealt daily with germs, or at least the idea of germs, and multiple times a day I used hand sanitizer to reassure clients (and myself) I would not be transferring an infection to them from the previous person I examined. So this recent news article by Philip S. Wenz, an environmentalist, got my attention. According to Mr. Wenz, here is the down-low on the stuff we have been led to believe lowers our and our children’s risk of falling ill:
~chemicals found in some hand sanitizers (and other products labelled as “antibacterial” like soap**) can contribute to the growth of cancerous cells.
~with repeated or over-use, some of these same chemicals can reduce the user’s immunity and cause infection with “superbugs,” bacteria that have evolved to such an extent that they do not succumb to antibiotics.
~use hand sanitizers (avoid those labelled as “antibacterial”) with at least a 60 percent ethyl alcohol content. These products are considered safe for you, reasonably safe for the environment, and also are the most effective against bacterial exposure. That said, these hand sanitizers do not kill the viruses usually associated with the common cold.
Say what?
Given the common cold is one of the primary reasons we use hand sanitizer, I thought this claim warranted additional research, and here is what I learned:
~yes, use hand sanitizers with at least a 60 percent ethyl alcohol content. The higher alcohol concentration is more effective at killing bacteria.
~hand sanitizers are not effective against non-encapsulated viruses (those without a protective coating) like rhinovirus, which causes the common cold, and norovirus, a notorious cause of the stomach flu. However, another common cold culprit, coronavirus, is encapsulated and like the viruses which cause the respiratory illness influenza, is susceptible to hand sanitizer products.
It’s confusing, especially when many hand sanitizers promote they kill “99 percent of germs” and we assume that means a majority of what we could be exposed to. Given most of us don’t have ready access to a microscope, slides and gram-stain how can we know for sure what our co-workers or kids’ playmates are harboring? Realistically, we can’t. The good news is the alcohol in hand sanitizers makes our hands a very unappealing place for viruses to hang out. And each source I consulted recommended the same thing: if hand sanitizer is the only option available to clean our hands, use it. So don’t toss out your yummy-scented (ethyl alcohol-based!) hand sanitizer…it is better than nothing.
It is worth reiterating, however, that “hands down” the best way to reduce exposure to illness is washing up with soap and water.
[**Mr. Wenz also emphasizes in his article to read ingredient labels on other personal hygiene products, not just hand sanitizers. Avoid items touted as “antibacterial” and that contain Triclosan, Triclocarbon or parabens, which can be found in shampoo, toothpastes and bar soaps, to name a few. These are antibacterial agents that can wreak havoc with our immune systems, cause antibiotic resistance or even cancer.]
References
http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2012/01/hand-sanitizers
http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/20130208/hand-sanitizers-germs
http://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/show-me-the-science-hand-sanitizer.html
