Hand sanitizer is either a solution powder or liquid usually used to reduce
potentially infective agents on the infected hands. In most settings hand
washing using hot water and soap is usually preferred over hand sanitizing soap
and liquid. It is used before, during, and after contact with a potentially
contaminated object or surface.
Although there is no FDA approved sanitizing agent for
human, most products on the market contain various types of chemicals. Many are
antibacterial, but others are antimicrobial or deodorant agents. Some are for
use in skin irritations, and others work as hand sanitizers. Most are made from
various alcohols, fatty acids, glycerin, and petroleum-based ingredients,
including triclosan, benzyl alcohol, and disulphide ester. Some agents do not
contain alcohols or antiseptics and do not list the specific ingredients.
Triclosan
and disulphide ester are antimicrobial agents but have not been proven
effective in fighting the virus and bacteria, including the recently identified
human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus that causes genital warts. Thus, while
hand washing with soap and warm water is recommended, it is not always
guaranteed to be effective. For these reasons, a sanitizer that is applied more
frequently may be less effective than one that is applied only occasionally.
The best way to determine how a sanitizer may be
beneficial in protecting your health is to contact a physician. Most commonly,
physicians recommend hand-washing with a medicated hand rub because it is
thought that this is the safest method. However, hand-rubbing is only one of
the many ways that bacteria can enter your body. Indeed, many people who
perform different tasks at work or play will be in contact with some amount of
bacteria. For example, healthcare workers who assist in the treatment of sick
patients may transfer disease-causing bacteria from one patient to another.
Likewise, people who play sports may become infected with a virus that can
cause serious illness or even death.
To better
understand how alcohol hand sanitizers compare to other sanitizing methods, you
might want to look at the FDA's website. Here, you will find information about
the organization's safety guidelines for using sanitizing products. Although
the agency is not promoting hand washing, it does encourage the use of products
that contain low levels of alcohol and disulfides. Among these substances are
some of the antimicrobial agents that are found in some alcohol hand
sanitizers.
These types of agents are thought to reduce the growth of
bacteria and, therefore, reduce the risk of infections. However, they are
thought to produce fewer results when it comes to protecting the skin. Thus,
although some people do find them to be less effective, they might still be
worth trying out if they do not want to get sick. At least with the help of
alcohol concentrations used in rubbing alcohols, hand sanitizer that have no other
antimicrobial activity will have less harmful effects on your health than
traditional sanitizing agents.








