Does hand sanitizer kill bacteria and viruses?

Hand sanitizers should come with a warning.
Since the concerns over the Swine flu outbreak, the use of these sanitizers have been on the increase.
It has also been recommended that they contain at least 60% alcohol.
There have now been cases where people (mostly smokers) have sustained serious burns to the hands because they have foolishly lit up while their hands have been wet with hand sanitizer.
Our work sites have been instructed to post a flamible warning along side these bottles.
Perhaps more mention of this side effect when promoting the use of these sanitizers
Thankyou

I learned in microbiology back in the60's whatever kills most organisms makes survivors stronger. How can sanitizers not do same? Bacteria & viruses mutate & adapt.

In high quantities, alcohol is cytotoxic to all organisms, however it does not necessarily affect dormant organisms or viruses which have special protective barriers. The action of alcohol as a disinfectant occurs by disrupting the cellular membrane, essentially inactivating the pathogen by destroying its capacity to infect cells. Dormant organisms may have layers of protein, which act as a shell, protecting the internal components of the pathogen from chemical attack. A good example are the spores generated by anthrax, which are resistant to alcohol. Organisms will never adapt to alcohol treatment, because it is a purely chemical process, much like acid treatment. They do adapt to anti-bacterial compounds which target specific biochemical processes, which are easily altered to circumvent such sensitivities.

the dental profession has been dealing with this question since the beginning of the aids back in the early 80's. the main problem with hand sanitizers is that they are almost exclusively made with isopropyl alcohol. we have tested many products through the years and isopropyl will not kill viruses. our profession needed something to combat them that was economical and somewhat safe. the best defense for viruses is straight bleach. it is harmful to tissue and a lot of delicate surfaces. what we found was ethanol would kill viruses if the concentration was adequate. isopropyl alcohol is completely different and is quite useless to us. but ethanol at 79% by weight achieves what we call high level hospital disinfection. the short of it is the companies that make these products are short cutting us with an inferior product. lysol used to be 79% ethanol and we used it all the time. they found out we bought it over the counter, changed it to 59% and can out with lysol professional at 79% and charge us double. i make my own hand sanitizer with straight up pure grain alcohol diluted slightly with water to achieve 79% and add some fragrance. i feel confident anywhere i go with this.

Sandra, it says right in the article that sanitizer DOES NOT KILL the virus. It just makes your skin inhospitable to carrying them. Hello, read the article before you ask a question.

There are a couple of very important things about viruses that people seem to forget (or never learn). First, a virus is NOT a living thing... at least not in the traditional sense. It is rather a mass of protein and DNA that is pretty much inert until it can find itself a host cell to use for reproductive purposes. Thus, it cannot be expected to respond like a living thing to medications and/or disinfectants.

Also, antibiotics are effective against bacteria only. They have no effect on viruses! ...none!... zero! ...nada! ...bupkis! Therefore, unless your personal case of the flu or a cold also leaves you with a bacterial infection (like an ear infection or pneunmonia), there no reason whatsoever for you to take antibiotics.

In fact, individuals who insist on taking antibiotics everytime they have a cold (and the doctors who are dumb enough to prescribe them to "shut their patients up") are a large part of the reason there so many bacterial illnesses that are resistant to antibiotics. It isn't rocket science. Darwin's laws work for bacteria just like they do for large creatures and, because the life and reproductive cycle of a bacteria is a heck of lot shorter than it is for most living things, a bacteria can evolve a heck of lot quicker. It goes without saying that the same goes for use of disinfectants. If you continuously expose bacteria to disinfectants, they WILL evolve to be tolerant to it. There have allegedly been studies that "prove" (and I use quotes because I can't seem to find details online to link to, but they are out there) that, in homes where parents use large amounts of disinfectants to constantly clean surfaces, kids tend to be more susceptible to colds and flu because their home becomes such a bacteria-free zone that kids are unable to build up their immunities, which would happen a matter of course, in a "dirtier" home.

I use hand sanitizer all the time at work as I work at school with over 2,000 students,I think its more a mind over matter thing,you use it therefore you think you wont get sick,so it makes me feel better.well I wash my hands to and never touch my face unless my hands are clean and I still get sick once in a while.vitamins help too

I use a product called Microdine, I put a dime spot in my palm and rub it all over my hands, it leaves a film of spent iodine upon drying that can rinced off and then it has a persistance of about 5 hours. Microdine containes no alcohol and it is a class 1 FDA approved hand sanitizer and sugical scrub. Check out all the test data at http://www.microdine.com for youself

Jenny Lynn, Sandra still has a point. Viruses may mutate in order to adapt to that place where they are "not allowed", even though they do not achieve success in this adaptation.

Some basic biology for you...ALL living cells are surrounded by a fat-based plasma membrane. Alcohol disrupts the plasma membrane, as fats are soluable in alcohol. Viruses are NOT cells, and are NOT alive. Many viruses, including influenza, have a fatty envelope surrounding them that facilitate their attachment to target host cells. Alcohol breaks down the envelope IF in high enough concentration and IF used for appropriate time of exposure (15-20 seconds minimum).

Over-the-counter sanitizer gels are almost always 62%-63% ethyl alcohol, NOT isopropyl alcohol as suggested by Ken above. They are NOT as substitute for handwashing, but are MUCH better than nothing if soap and water are not available.

While Sandra Smith said in her comment above, bacteria and viruses can mutate if exposed to drugs. Alcohol is not a drug, so resistance via mutation cannot happen with alcohols. This is a basic chemical reaction, not a targeted attack that occurs when using antimicrobial or antiviral drugs...totally different thing.

Kevin
Microbiology Instructor

My company gives all employees in our office hand sanitizer pumps bottles for desks (Purell) and a delivery service company (UniFirst.com) comes and refills the "touchless" dispensers in our restrooms and in our cafeteria. I imagine it is cheaper than paying for lots of sick time.

Kevin states: " Over-the-counter sanitizer gels are almost always 62%-63% ethyl alcohol, NOT isopropyl alcohol as suggested by Ken above. "

Looking at the bottle of Putrell Hand Santizer on my desk, first two ingredients are water and isopropyl alcohol.

HCG – Did you mean "Purell?" I've never heard of Putrell and couldn't find it with a Google search. It could be a specialty product, I suppose. It could be that a formulation has changed, but this is what I found on the net. Most over the counter preps are very similar. I cannot speak for all of them.

From: http://www.raytechcatalog.com/product_info/purell-hand-sanitizer-376.html

Purell Ingredients:

Active Ingredients: Contains: Ethyl Alcohol (62%)

Inactive Ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Isopropyl Myristate, Propylene Glycol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Aminomethyl Propanol, Carbomer, Fragrance (parfum)

From http://www.brands2liveby.com/purell/content/faq.htm

1. What is the active ingredient?
Ethyl alcohol, 62% – "mother nature's disinfectant." According to the American Journal of Infection Control, Aug. 1995, "Alcohols applied to the skin are among the safest known antiseptics."

2. What are the inactive ingredients used in Purell® products?
Denaturant/bittering agent – small amount of Isopropyl Alcohol, Moisturizers derived from plant materials, Propylene Glycol, Isopropyl Myristate, Thickener – Carbomer Fragrance

my science partner and i are 14 and we neeeded to find information and yours was the right blog to read =]

What I found to be funny was the tangents people strayed off to when the topic is about hand sanitizer.

Robert, you just attacked Sandra in regards to talking on the phone while driving. lol

One should not throw stones unless one is 100% pure and we all know that isn't possible or realistic.

Back to hand sanitizer. We're required to use it when coming in or leaving the office. I see it as a precautionary, but also pretty pointless.

No one enjoys using this stuff. Granted, it smells like alcohol...however, I guess anything helps...

Sir,
Can you send me the list of pathogens which can be killed by Alcohol Hand Sanitizer?

Thanks.

Desai