Alcohol based products will contain one of two active ingredients; alcohol or isopropanol, a form of secondary alcohol. Both are effective antiseptic products effective in killing germs and bacteria and they share many of the same properties, their main differences being on a molecular level. One distinct property that they both share is that they are highly flammable.
Minimum recommended alcohol content is still over 62%!
For maximum effectiveness hand sanitisers should contain 60% – 95% alcohol for maximum efficacy; a high concentration which has long raised concerns in both the media and the health care community. Hospitals and other facilities need to consult their local fire authorities when planning the installation of alcohol based dispensers due to the highly flammable nature of alcohol based products. Even with this high level of alcohol most of these products can at best manage a kill rate of 99.9% of bacteria which equates to approximately 1 in 10,000 spores surviving; a single spore will multiply to over a million in only 24 hours!
Another concern with alcohol-based sanitisers are the potential toxicity hazards upon ingestion. Most dispensing mechanisms for hand sanitisers are easy to open and are placed in accessible locations to encourage use. Caution must be exercised whenever children and chemicals such as these share the same environment. Given the high levels of alcohol concentration found in these products, consumption can lead to acute alcohol poisoning in both children and adults. There have been many recorded instances of people breaking into the dispensers to consume the contents and this has resulted in a number of facilities switching to non alcohol alternatives.
A common side-effect often associated with the repeated use of alcohol based hand sanitisers is the dryness and cracking that it can cause on hands. This occurs because the alcohol present strips away oils in your skin that retain moisture. The temporary absence of these oils can lead to increased skin irritation on the hands and even symptoms of dermatitis. Another complaint is that the alcohol found in these products are damaging to floor and walls, causing staining where dispensers may drip or leak.
Most alcohol based sanitisers have a limited effectiveness against certain resistant bacteria such as Clostridium difficile (C.Dif) and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). They are also ineffective against viruses. Alcohol sanitisers are only effective upon initial application and their benefits are lost as soon as a contaminated surface is touched.
Alcohol Free Sanitisers such as the highly effective range sold by Helping Hands have huge and obvious advantages over alcohol based rivals.
Non FlammableSkin Safe99.999% Kill rate against bacteriaEffective against C.DifEffective against MRSAEffective against NorovirusResidual effect continues killing bacteria for at least 6 hours after application!BiodegradableCost effective, use less to do far moreSafe to use around children and animalsAvailable as alcohol free hand gel
Alcohol sanitisers used to be the best solution available but they cannot compete with the advantages of using high quality alcohol free products. Its time to move on and away from them.
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