There is a claim, printed on all bottles of hand sanitizer’s on retail shelves around the world, that these products “kill 99.99% of germs.” Purell, Germ-X, CVS generic Walgreen’s generic, Nexcare, and many others all say the same thing: 99.99% A high number, to be sure, but is it enough?
These miraculous gels or foams contain the active ingredient ethyl alcohol at a 60-70% concentration. This element is responsible for the death of 99.99% of all bacteria that comes in contact with human skin. Ethyl alcohol, ethanol, kills many microbes; in doing so, though, ethyl alcohol can cause skin to dry out. This drying of the skin leads to cracks in the body’s first line of defense against illness. In an attempt to be sanitary, a person can over-use hand sanitizer’s and actually increase their susceptibility to contracting a disease. These sanitizer’s also come with warnings:
1.) For external use only
2.) Keep away from heat or flame
3.) Keep out of eyes
4.) Avoid contact with broken skin
5.) Do not inhale or ingest;
6.) Keep out of reach of children
7.) Stop usage and ask a doctor if skin irritation develops.
These warnings sound risky to me, yet hand sanitizer’s are immensely effective, as is stated on their labels. But are they effective enough?
The very nature of hand sanitizer’s is their convenience, but that is also their downfall. By having a self-drying product, they are removing one of the most vital aspects of hand cleansing: drying. Studies have found that, while washing hands alone does not prevent the transfer of bacteria, the drying of the hands significantly reduces the transfer. Hand sanitizer’s, though, don’t seem to think it very important. The directions on a hand sanitizer bottle, no matter who makes or packages it, instructs us to: cover our hands completely with the product; let the product dry on hands; do not wipe or rinse off; you can rub your hands briskly together and let them dry. Now you can eat your chicken wings with your clean hands, without worries? Would you use hand sanitizer then actually lick your fingers? Remember, there is still .01% of live bacteria on your hands, and the dead germs as well. While hand sanitizer’s make you feel clean, they don’t necessarily succeed.
Sadly, there is a social misconception that has taken root as truth: that hand sanitizer’s clean your hands. But the real truth is that using hand sanitizer’s cannot replace or be considered as safe and effective as actually washing and drying your hands. The action of washing with soap, lathering up, rinsing, and drying your hands with a clean paper towel provides more friction and actual drying of the hands, which studies have shown is just as, if not more, effective as the washing of the hands. Simply applying a gel and letting it dry is much less sanitary, especially when you remember that .01% of live bacteria remain on your hands.
While .01% may seem like a risk worth taking, most consumers don’t realize how high that number actually is. In fact, as stated by the Department of Physics at the University of Illinois, there is an average of 32 million bacteria on each square inch of the human body. The average human hand is 119 to 158 square inches in size, resulting in 3,808,000,000 to 5,056,000,000 bacteria on the hand alone. Even with the 99.99% effectiveness of hand sanitizer’s, there are still 380,800 to 505,600 bacteria left alive. This is an alarmingly high number of possible life threatening contagions that can exist unscathed.
Hopefully the usage of these sanitizer’s has not caused the user to develop dry cracked skin, making possible a direct passage of microbes into the body. Hopefully most of the germs that have survived the sanitizer are of the non-pathogenic variety.
Even though the number 99.99% seems as close to 100 as manufacturers can get, ask yourself: is it close enough to protect your family or yourself from harmful contagions? While hand sanitizer does have its uses, you should take the time to wash your hands thoroughly. If you’re in a pinch, hand sanitizer can help, but you should still wash your hands as soon as you can. Research shows that the sanitizer becomes ineffective if used in excess, so wash your hands if you use sanitizer more than twice in a row. Adapting yourself to the habit of washing your hands with soap and water, and drying them effectively, is a simply yet immensely beneficial way to keep yourself and those around you safe and healthy.
I always thought that Sanitizer was a joke. It more a feel good than a way to kill germs . Your see it everywhere you go anymore.
It is not a joke but it is not an "end All’ solution to sanitizing your hands. I hope that seeing it everywhere, is not replacing actual washing of hands.
Hi there, I teach 1st grade and always tell my children to wash their hands. I also cover recess and carry one of those bottles with me when I go outside. Unfortunately, it is still the easiest thing for me to use while outside and away from a sink, but I would try something else if it would mean protecting my kids and myself from germs. Very informative information and nicely placed within the article.
If soap and water are not available it is the next best thing!
I think it’s more of a woman thing, because my mom uses it and my dad hardly ever does. It seems like water ad soap would give the same results.
The action of properly washing your hands with water and soap and drying off with a paper towel is more sanitary. Would you lick your fingers after using hand sanitizer after putting your hands in a garbage filled can? I HOPE not.
I work in Clinical Epidemiology and Infection Control in a hospital. As long as hand sanitizer is used correctly (1-2mL, rubbed all over the hands until dry, etc.), it is MORE effective than handwashing for 15 seconds. Hand sanitizer does become less effective if used in excess, IF YOU DON’T LET YOUR HANDS DRY AND SIMPLY REAPPLY. Make sure you quote the literature properly. In addition, with all the emollients added to hand sanitizer, it is less harmful to the skin on the hands than simply washing with soap and water. The only organisms for which hand sanitizer has been found to be as or less effective is spore forming organisms that resist drying out, like Clostridium difficile. Log reduction of germs on hands is proven to be greater with hand sanitizer than simply handwashing – most notably in the healthcare setting.
Casey, you make some great points, ufe appreciates your comments. Here are the problems the ufe team has with sanitizers. Most people that use sanitizers aren’t using a large enough quantity or rubbing it in long enough. It is not recommended for children, which gets ignored so that is a real problem. We also like the friction you get from a paper product after hand washing. We would love to see hand sanitizers being used after hand washing. The health care arena is a different situation altogether. And lastly, ufe is just finishing up a survey where we asked random people the question,"where do the substances go that were on your hands after you use a sanitizer?" Many people don’t understand that the hand sanitizer doesn’t eliminate the dirt that was on your hands. So for instance, if you have something contagious like feces on your hands and used a sanitizer, would you feel comfortable eating a sandwich? The feces may not be virulent (harmful), but the feces is still on your hands. Thanks for your input, we would love to hear from you again!
I have read so many content about the blogger lovers however this paragraph
is in fact a fastidious paragraph, keep it up.
WOW just what I was searching for. Came here by searching for bacteria
Glad to help out true followers.
Greetings! Very helpful advice within this article!
It’s the little changes which will make the largest changes. Many thanks for sharing!
Appreciating the time and effort you put into your website and in depth information you offer. It’s good to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same old rehashed information. Great read! I’ve bookmarked your site and I’m including your RSS feeds to my Google account.