Hand Sanitizers - Are They Effective

With all the scare about the swine flu, we all have good reason to be concerned about washing our hands. Many articles have suggested using hand sanitzer if soap and water are not available. But there has always seemed to be such a controversy over the effectiveness of hand sanitizers. Her:e are some medical opinions on the subject::

Apparently according to the medical experts the key ingredient in hand sanitizer is alcohol. Dr. Ruth Berggren of the University of Texas Health Science Center explains, Alcohol-based hand antiseptics contain ethanol, isopropanol or a combination of the two. Most sanitizers contain 60 to 95 percent alcohol, a range the FDA says is effective at killing germs. Breggren supports the use of hand sanitizers and says if we encouraged their use in schools, we would all be better off in terms of illness.

Dr. George Crawford of University of Texas Health Science Center, is "selectively in favor" of hand sanitizer. He reminds us that hand sanitzers don't kill all germs including rhinoviruses, which cause colds. Dr. Crawford who is a professor of infectious disease says the effectiveness of hand sanitzers in reducing infection has been well studied in only a few settings, and not in common household settings.

In 2006, a hand sanitzer alert was published in the journal of Emerging Infectious Diseases. The concern was that some products that are marketed as effective in reducing bacterial counts on hands simply did not contain enough alcohol to do the job. So you should always read the labels.

Crawford says to consider hand sanitzer as a good second choice. It seems to me that if alcohol is the secret, why not just carry alcoholic wipes. I have some in my first aid kit and they are small and easy to carry. At least you would know what you were getting. Also, I use a waterless cleanser on my face everyday, why not take a small bottle of waterless soap?