Alcohol rub

An alcohol rub, also known as a hand sanitizer or healthcare personnel hand wash or a hand antiseptic according to the latest FDA definition, is used as a supplement or alternative to hand washing with soap and water. The active ingredient in alcohol rubs may be isopropanol, ethanol, or (in Europe) n-propanol. A variety of preparations are available, including gels, foam and liquid solutions. Hand sanitizers containing alcohol are more effective at killing germs than soaps and do not dry out hands as much as soaps. [cite web| url = http://www.cec.health.nsw.gov.au/pdf/AlcoholHandRub061013.pdf| title = Alcohol Hand Rub and Hand Hygiene| accessdate = 2007-05-18| publisher = Clinical Excellence Commission, Health, New South Wales, Australia|format=PDF] Inactive ingredients in alcohol rubs typically include a thickening agent such as Carbomer (a trade name for polyacrylic acid), and humectants such as glycerin and propylene glycol.

Uses

When hands are not visibly dirty, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers alcohol hand sanitizers as an acceptable alternative to soap and water for hand hygiene. [cite web| url = http://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/infectioncontrol/faq/hand.htm| title = Hand Hygiene FAQ| accessdate = 2007-02-01| publisher = Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]

Alcohol concentration must be above 60% for alcohol rubs to be effective in killing microbes. Researchers at East Tennessee State University found that products with alcohol concentrations as low as 40% are available in American stores. [cite journal
last =Reynolds
first =Scott A.
authorlink =
coauthors =Foster Levy and Elaine S. Walker
title =Hand Sanitizer Alert
journal =Emerging Infectious Diseases
volume =12
issue =3
pages =
publisher =Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
month =March | year =2006
url =http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol12no03/05-0955.htm
doi =
id =
accessdate =2007-02-02 ] The optimum alcohol concentration to kill germs is 70 to 95 %. Alcohol gels containing 62 v/v % alcohol are less effective germ killers than alcohol rubs containing at least 70 wt/wt % alcohol. [cite web| url = http://www.learnwell.org//handhygiene.htm |title = Hand Hygiene for Healthcare Workers | accessdate = 2007-04-27| publisher = LearnWell Resources, Inc, a California nonprofit public benefit 501(c)(3) corporation] [cite journal
last =Kramer
first =Axel
authorlink =
coauthors =Peter Rudolph Gonter Kampf Didier Pittet
title =Limited efficacy of alcohol-based hand gels
journal =Lancet
volume =359
issue =April 27
pages =1489–1490
publisher =THE LANCET
year =2002
accessdate =2007-04-30
doi =10.1016/S0140-6736(02)08426-X ] [cite journal
last =Pietsch
first =Hanns
authorlink =
title =Hand Antiseptics: Rubs Versus Scrubs, Alcoholic Solutions Versus Alcoholic Gels
journal =J. Hospital Infection
volume =48
issue =Supl A
pages =S33–S36
publisher =Hospital Infection Society
year =2001
accessdate =2007-04-30
doi =10.1016/S0195-6701(01)90010-6 ] Alcohol rubs containing two different germ killers (i.e. alcohol and benzalkonium chloride) are significantly more effective than alcohol alone. [cite journal
last =Hibbard
first =John S.
authorlink =
title =Analyses Comparing the Antimicrobial Activity and Safety of Current Antiseptic Agents
journal =J. Infusion Nursing
volume =28
issue =3
pages =194–207
publisher =Infusion Nurses Society
date =May/June 2005
accessdate =2007-04-27 ] Most alcohol rub formulations include a moisturizer to keep hands from drying out.

Effectiveness

Alcohol rubs kill many different kinds of bacteria, including antibiotic resistant bacteria and TB bacteria. Alcohol rubs inactivate many different kinds of viruses, including the flu virus and the common cold virus. Alcohol rubs also kill fungus.

Not all pathogens are equally susceptible. Certain bacteria, especially the spore-forming gram positives (e.g. Clostridium difficile) are relatively resistant and remain biologically viable. During the Anthrax attacks on the United States Postal Service, authorities warned that alcohol hand rubs would not kill anthrax spores. In environments with high lipids or protein waste (such as food processing), the use of alcohol hand rubs alone may not be sufficient to ensure proper hand hygiene.

afety

Alcohol gel can catch fire, producing a dim blue flame. This is due to the flammable alcohol in the gel. Some hand sanitizer gels may not produce this effect due to a high concentration of water or moisturizing agents.

There have been some rare instances where alcohol hand gels have been implicated in starting fires, including a case where static electricity ignited the gel.Fact|date=March 2008 To minimize the risk of fire, users are instructed to rub their hands until dry, which indicates that the flammable alcohol has evaporated. [cite web| url = http://www.cdc.gov/handhygiene/firesafety/default.htm| title = Alcohol-Based Hand-Rubs and Fire Safety| accessdate = 2007-04-26| publisher = Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]

It has been also noted that if ingested it can cause alcohol poisoning in small children. [cite web| url =http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/health/news-article.aspx?storyid=84913| title =Hand Sanitizers Could Be A Dangerous Poison To Unsupervised Children| accessdate = 2007-07-15| publisher = NBC News Channel] In the US alone, there have been more than 12,000 cases of children ingesting hand gels. [http://video.msn.com/v/us/fv/msnbc/fv.htm??g=ba833fa6-5a03-4659-b6ff-aae615f86fc5&f=00&fg]

Image gallery

Sources

External links

* [http://www.handhygiene.net/hand_antisepsis.html Importance of using hand antiseptic product in healthcare enviornment] Learn proper technique for applying alcohol-based rub on your hands.