Articles
The Poison Paradox: Surprising Facts About Hand Sanitizers
The cabinet under the kitchen sink is automatically a no-go zone in any house with kids. We also know to put the antifreeze on a high shelf in the garage and to keep the bleach out of reach. Poison control icon Mr. Yuk is doing his job, but what about the everyday poison that we hand to our children without a second thought, at school, on the soccer field, and in the grocery store?
You'd never mix your child a martini, but when you pass the hand sanitizer, you're handing over a concoction that usually contains about 62 percent pure ethyl alcohol—it's like a 120 proof bottle of germ-killing goo. Despite its bad taste, kids can and will ingest it. Usually one lick is enough to satisfy a child's boundless curiosity (because hand sanitizer tastes terrible), but sometimes it doesn't stop there. In many cases, children ingest enough to put their lives in serious danger (1). Whatever the reason, the surprising fact is that children (and susceptible adults) (2) have actually suffered alcohol poisoning by swallowing as little as an ounce from the innocent-seeming bottle of hand sanitizer—the very thing you're using to keep them safe from germs and disease.
So what is a conscientious parent to do? You want your kids' hands to be clean, because the world is loaded with deadly bacteria, fungi, and viruses that can cause colds, gastrointestinal illnesses, tuberculosis, and even MRSA and HIV. Alcohol-based sanitizers are more effective than soap and water3, but the Centers for Disease Control still recommends frequent hand washing as the best way to arrest the spread of disease when hands are visibly dirty. When hands are not visibly dirty, the CDC acknowledges alcohol-based sanitizers as an effective alternative.4 But, of course, soap and a sink aren't always available. What's more, the protective effect of alcohol-based sanitizers wears off very quickly. As soon as you touch anything dirty—a doorknob, a computer keyboard, a shopping cart—the germs are back again.
Thankfully, we have some good news to share with you. Manufacturers have been working hard to develop "leave in place" hand sanitizers that can effectively protect against germs for hours. That means much less frequent application and dramatically reduced access to the sanitizer container. Better yet, many of these next-generation sanitizers use active ingredients that won't cause serious harm if ingested.
Zytrel XP®, made by BioDefense Solutions, is one such product. Within seconds of application, Zytrel kills 99.99% of germs and continues to help kill germs for four hours. It works by forming a hypoallergenic antimicrobial film on the skin that kills the bad bacteria while allowing the good bacteria to live.. These new hand sanitizers even protect against skin irritation. By using it only a few times a day, people can protect their hands—and their kids' hands—continuously, without the hassle, expense, and danger of careless and repeated application. It's a new way to keep germs at bay.
1 - JulieDeardorff, Chicago Tribune, "Getting Drunk Off Hand Sanitizers," http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/features_julieshealthclub/2007/05/getting_drunk_o.html, May 22, 2007.
2 - The New England Journal of Medicine, "Intoxication of a Prison Inmate with an Ethyl Alcohol–Based Hand Sanitizer," http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/356/5/529, February 1, 2007.
3 - Clinical Excellence Commission, Health, New South Wales, Australia, "Alcohol Hand Rub and Hand Hygiene," http://www.cec.health.nsw.gov.au/pdf/AlcoholHandRub061013.pdf, undated.
4 - Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Clean Hands Save Lives!," http://www.cdc.gov/cleanhands, November 19, 2009.
