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Opt for products with added ingredients like Gel or Glycerin to not only extend handwashing time but also provide moisture to the skin...
1. Choosing the safest and most effective dry hand sanitizer during the Covid-19 pandemic
Select products with added gel or moisturizing components such as Glycerin to increase handwashing time while keeping the skin moisturized.
The World Health Organization recommends maintaining hand hygiene by frequently washing hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand sanitizers as the most effective preventive measure against the new coronavirus.
While soap and water work to wash away disease-causing microbes, including the new coronavirus, few are aware that alcohol can effectively destroy or deactivate this virus, leveraging its vulnerable 'deadly' aspect.
Not everyone possesses the knowledge to select an alcohol-based hand sanitizer product amidst the myriad options available in today's market.
So, how should you decipher the ingredients of a product? How do you choose the alcohol concentration and other compounds to effectively combat viruses, ensuring safety while preventing dry hands?
1. How does alcohol destroy viruses?
Alcohols like ethanol have been recommended for hand sanitization since 1888. The World Health Organization defines alcohol-based hand sanitizers as 'alcohol-containing preparations (liquid, gel, or foam) designed for application to the hands to inactivate microorganisms or temporarily stop their growth. Such preparations may contain one or more types of alcohol and may also contain additional antimicrobial agents and humectants'.
Alcohol-based hand sanitizers typically use alcohol bases such as isopropanol, ethanol, n-propanol, or a combination of these products. The antimicrobial activity of alcohol comes from its ability to denature and coagulate proteins. Subsequently, microorganism cells are lysed, and their metabolic processes are disrupted.
The antimicrobial activity of alcohol comes from its ability to denature and coagulate proteins. Subsequently, microorganism cells are lysed, and their metabolic processes are disrupted.
For the novel coronavirus, it has a vulnerable 'fatal' point that can be rendered inactive when exposed to alcohol. That's the nuclear envelope (E). Alcohol can break down this envelope, exposing the virus's genetic material (RNA) and rendering it inactive without protection and spike-shaped receptors (S) for cell infection.
This effect makes alcohol an effective disinfectant against various coronaviruses, including the SARS-CoV virus causing the 2003 SARS outbreak and the MERS virus causing Middle East Respiratory Syndrome in 2015.
A study published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases confirms that alcohol-based hand sanitizers (ethanol and isopropanol) are highly effective against enveloped viruses such as Ebola, Zika, SARS, and MERS.
However, this doesn't mean alcohol can eliminate or deactivate all types of viruses. Some virus strains lack vulnerabilities like the coronavirus, such as the Poliovirus causing polio without an envelope.
Therefore, for viruses with a single layer of genetic material (DNA or RNA) tightly packed with proteins into a solid particle, alcohol-containing hand sanitizers appear less effective.
Alcohol inactivates enveloped viruses like corona (left), while non-enveloped viruses like polio (right) resist its influence.
This is also why, in this Covid-19 pandemic, alcohol-based hand sanitizers are recommended. Meanwhile, for many other infections, clean water and soap handwashing remain the top and only priority.
2. How to choose a hand sanitizer?
According to a scientific article published by StatPearls, hand sanitizers containing 60% to 95% alcohol are most effective against pathogens. It's worth noting that higher concentrations result in lower effectiveness, as the microorganism's proteins are less denatured without water around.
For each alcohol base, we achieve the highest antibacterial effectiveness at levels: ethanol (60% to 85%), isopropanol (60% to 80%), and n-propanol (60% to 80%).
All alcohol-based hand sanitizers are recognized as safe for humans, even for children. But remember to keep these products out of reach of small children to avoid accidental ingestion, which can lead to poisoning.
Some studies indicate that alcohol addicts may attempt to consume alcohol-based hand sanitizers, so extra caution is necessary. Also, alcohol is flammable, so avoid placing it near stoves or high-temperature environments.
Speaking of drawbacks, alcohol-based hand sanitizers often evaporate quickly and can dry out the skin. So, choosing a hand sanitizer with alcohol alone is not safe, as the alcohol may evaporate before you can rub all surfaces and between your fingers, reducing its effectiveness in killing germs.
You should opt for products with additional ingredients like gel or moisturizers such as Glycerin to extend the handwashing time and keep the skin moisturized.
According to the European standard for hygiene hand rubs, European Norm 1500, each time you use alcohol-based hand sanitizer, you need to spray about 3 ml on your hands and rub for at least 30 seconds to cover the entire palm, fingertips, and between fingers effectively.
Visually, 3 ml is roughly more than half a teaspoon, or when poured on your hand, it's about the size of a coin. Another way to estimate if you've used enough is to count how many times you can use up a 60 ml bottle. If you can wash more than 20 times, then you haven't sprayed enough.
A final note when using alcohol-based hand sanitizers during the Covid-19 pandemic is that you should not use it when your hands are visibly dirty. If your hands are greasy, sandy, or have any noticeable dirt, it's best to wash them with soap and clean water. Sanitizing with alcohol in this case is not enough to remove and deactivate all the germs on your hands.
Source: Genk
