What You Should Know About Hand Sanitizers and Your Health

by Janelle Sorensen

Michela Mongardi / CC BY 2.0

Are you carrying around hand sanitizer yet? During cold and flu season, especially during these days of pandemic flu, it's a smart, preventive tool to protect your health. But, what exactly is it? Are there any risks you should be aware of? Are some options safer than others? Read on to find out.

Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers
Most hand sanitizers are made from 60-90% ethyl alcohol (to be effective, the alcohol content must be over 60%.) Ethyl alcohol is an anti-microbial that's been recommended as a hand sanitizer for over 100 years and it's preferable to other alcohols because it doesn't dry out skin as badly.

Should you worry about applying alcohol to your skin? When used as directed, the alcohol in hand sanitizers poses no risk. What's absorbed into the blood is comparable to a tiny sip of wine and you don't have to worry about residue on your skin because it evaporates within seconds of drying. However, alcohol-based hand sanitizers can pose a serious poisoning issue to children under 6 if they ingest it. To be safe, hand sanitizers should be stored out of children's reach and used only with supervision.

In addition to alcohol, hand sanitizers can include:

• Glycerin - speeds repair of the skin's protective barrier
• Isopropyl Myristate - facilitates absorption
• Dimethicone - reduces sanitizer's greasy feeling
• Aloe vera gel - soothes skin
• Propylene glycol - antifungal
• Tocopheryl Acetate - acts as an antioxidant and moisturizer
• Triethanolamine - helps maintain pH of the product
• Carbomers - thickeners
• Aminomethyl Propanol - adjusts acidity
• Fragrances - make it smell nice. (But, fragrance mixtures are considered proprietary and manufacturers are not required to disclose what's in them. Approximately 1/3 of the 3,000 most common fragrances are allergens, asthmagens or respiratory irritants. Fragrances are also often where hormone disrupting phthalates hide.)

Alcohol is a serious microbial that wipes out germs and doesn't give them an opportunity to build up a resistance, but read your labels to find out if there are any extra ingredients you don't approve of. Here are some options to check out:

• Surya Brasil's Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer
• All Terrain Hand Sanz
• Burt's Bees Aloe Vero & Witch Hazel Hand Sanitizer (bonus points for using alcohol made from corn and while they do use fragrance, they never use phthalates)
• EO Hand Sanitizing Spray (bonus points for using non-GMO, corn-based alcohol)
• JAO Hand Refresher
• Method Hand Sanitizer (bonus points for corn-based alcohol, points docked for fragrance and dyes)

Alcohol-Free Hand Sanitizers:
Some alcohol-free hand sanitizers rely instead on the antibacterial properties of chemicals like Triclosan and Benzalknonium Chloride. Ironically, both of these chemicals have promoted the growth of antibacterial-resistant strains of bacteria. In addition, they are both rated as a high hazard in the Cosmetics Safety Database. Instead, look into some of these options that rely on all natural ingredients with antimicrobial properties.

• CleanWell
• Grandma Minnie's Kid Gloves Hand Sanitizer
• Clean George (has ECOCERT*, Certified Organic, FSC* Certified ingredients)

Make Your Own?
The question with making your own is if you feel confident it's going to be effective. It's the case with some natural brands, too - there haven't been conclusive studies demonstrating their efficacy as hand sanitizers. But, even the claims that alcohol-based products kill up to 99.9% of germs is also a bit flawed (the tests were done on inanimate objects and not actual hands). Do your research, assess your needs, and make an informed choice.

If you decide to make your own, consider this recipe from Melissa Breyer of Care2.com:

"Dr. Lawrence D. Rosen, a New Jersey pediatrician who dispenses natural health advice on his blog, recommends his tried-and-true recipe for homemade hand sanitizer called thieves oil. His formula calls for cinnamon bark, lemon oil and eucalyptus. As legend has it, a group of 15th century European perfumers-turned-grave-robbers were able to defend themselves against the demons of bubonic plague (and other assorted bacterial maladies one might encounter while removing jewelery from corpses) by dousing themselves in a blend of essential oils, hence the name "thieves oil."

Now there are any number of stories circulating about this legend, and just as many recipes, many of them with a vinegar base. But going on Dr. Rosen's fail-safe recipe and the proven efficacy of cinnamon oil, I like the formula which includes equal amounts of cinnamon bark, lemon, eucalyptus, clove, and rosemary therapeutic grade essential oils. Mix them with jojoba or olive oil as a carrier, and use on hands as a sanitizer. (Note: pure essential oils can be very potent; it's important to test some on a small patch of skin to check for any adverse reactions.)"

How to Use Hand Sanitizers Effectively
Just with any soap or cleanser, it only does the job if you do it right.

How much should you use? Vigorously rub all sides of your hands with enough product to get them wet, and rub them together until they are dry. According to the C.D.C. guidelines for alcohol-based hand sanitizers, to be most effective, a dime-size dollop of alcohol gel should be rubbed into the hands for 30 seconds. For other hand sanitizers, you may need to contact the manufacturer to find out how to properly use the product.

Keep in mind that washing your hands is the best bet. Hand sanitizers don't cut through dirt and grime well, so soiled hands should be washed first if the sanitizer is to be effective. And, if you have access to wash your hands, you don't really need a hand sanitizer (except in isolated situations). If you're on the go and you know you won't be near a sink (especially with young kids whose hands are bound to get dirty) - you may want to bring wipes and a hand sanitizer. Then you can wipe the dirt and grime off before applying the sanitizer.

Additional Resources:

• GoodGuide's top rated hand sanitizers
• EWG's Cosmetics Safety Database
• Alternatives to Antibacterials and Disinfectants

Alternatives to Antibacterials and Disinfectants

Safer Ways to Keep Germs at Bay

Healthy Child Healthy World

Rather than relying on chemicals to kill bacteria, protect your family from infections with these easy steps:

Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently. It's not the type of soap that prevents the spread of bacteria and viruses, it's how you wash your hands and how often. Wash hands both before and after preparing food; before eating or handling contact lenses; after changing a diaper (wash the child's hands, too), petting animals, sneezing, coughing, or using the toilet; and, whenever hands came in contact with bodily fluids.

Photo credit: iStockphoto

Here's how:

• Wet your hands, using comfortably warm water.
• Add soap (preferably plant-based) and lather up. If you use bar soap, rinse it after using and let dry.
• Rub hands together vigorously for 20 seconds. Don't forget the spaces between your fingers, your wrists, and under your nails.
• Rinse thoroughly.
• Dry hands well and launder hand towels often in hot water.

Clean surfaces with hot, soapy water (with lots of suds). Scrub surfaces well to loosen microorganisms, which can form a slimy layer resistant to detergent alone.

Wash sponges frequently. They can breed and spread germs, so wash regularly in soapy water. Rinse the sponges well, wringing them out well. Then let dry thoroughly, and replace often.

Disinfect selectively:

• Objects that come into contact with raw meat, fish, or eggs, such as cutting boards, utensils and counters:
  
  Use a dishwasher instead and be sure it reaches 171 degrees F, and choose an environmentally friendly detergent.
  
  Spray cutting boards and counters with white vinegar and then with 3% hydrogen peroxide (available in drug stores). Keep the liquids handy in separate spray bottles. It doesn't matter which one your use first, but both are much more effective than either one alone.
  
  See The Partnership for Food Safety Education for more tips on safe food handling practices.


• Diapers: After rinsing out cloth diapers, keep them soaking in a solution of 1/2 cup borax per gallon of water until they go into the washing machine.
  
  Wash diapers separately from other clothes. The heat of the dryer will fry germs.


• Sponges and rags: Microwave for 30 seconds on high power if dry, longer if wet-sponges for one minute, and rags for three minutes.


• Bathrooms and kitchen hard surfaces: Borax disinfects but is milder than bleach. It's also effective on mildew, especially combined with vinegar. Borax can found in the laundry detergent aisle in the supermarket, but keep it away from children. You can make a cleaning solution by adding 1/2 cup to each gallon of water.
  
  Hydrogen peroxide will reduce microorganisms on surfaces. It's the active ingredient in Seventh Generation Kitchen Cleaner and Bathroom Cleaners, and other products found in the Healthy Child Healthy World Marketplace.
  
  By selecting a variety of least-toxic supplies and mixing them into one all-purpose disinfectant, you can increase the efficacy of your cleaner. Use this recipe:
  
  1 t. borax
  2 T. white vinegar
  2 c. hot water
  1/4 t. lavender essential oil
  3 drops tea tree essential oil
  
  Mix all ingredients together and stir until dry ingredients dissolve. Pour into spray bottle for long-term storage and use. Spray as needed on any surface except glass. Scrub and rinse with a clean damp, cloth.

Keep surfaces dry and the humidity in your home low. Bacteria and fungi love moist, warm places.

Other Resources: Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics (APUA)

Healthy Body Care Tip #5: Antibacterials Are Not the Answer

by Christopher Gavigan

There is no doubt that personal hygiene is important to good health, but how much is enough? Sales of personal care products for children have jumped significantly in the past decade in part because marketers continue to redefine the "needs" of children in order to increase profits. One of the biggest new "necessities" is antibacterial products. Marketers have done a brilliant job at making parents feel like they need a scrupulously sanitized home and if you scrub enough with enough antibacterials and disinfectants you can rid the world of germs and bacteria and keep your family safe and healthy.

Guess what? Antibacterials are not all they're cracked up to be. Consider these facts, shared with Healthy Child by Jay Feldman of Beyond Pesticides:

• The most common illnesses (colds, flu and gastrointestinal upsets) are caused by viruses. Antibacterials have little or no effect on viruses.
• Antibacterial products target good bacteria as well as bad, but our bodies need those good bacteria. They help us digest our food, for example, and keep harmful microorganisms from entering our bodies through our main orifices like our mouths and nose.


• The bad bacteria we encounter typically have no impact on a healthy immune system. In fact, only 1 percent to 2 percent of microbes are likely to make us sick.


• Bacteria are so prevalent and reproduce so fast that it's impossible to eliminate them anyway. In addition, a large number of recent studies have found substantial evidence that certain antibacterial products actually promote the emergence of bacteria resistant to antibiotic medications and antibacterial cleansers


• Research shows that plain soap and water is just as effective for hand washing as products containing triclosan. The Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee, which advises the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), voted 11-1 that antibacterial soaps and washes were no more effective than regular soap and water in fighting infections-both work equally as well.


• The overuse of triclosan (and other antibacterials) could potentially be increasing the incidence of allergies. The "hygiene hypothesis" theorizes that there is a correlation between too much hygiene and increased allergies and asthma. Studies have found an increase in the frequency of allergies, asthma and eczema in persons who have been raised in more sterile and hygienic environments. Through over-cleaning ourselves, The theory states, the body's immune system is not challenged, and thus it is prevented from developing and maturing.


• Even the American Medical Association concludes, "Despite their recent proliferation in consumer products, the use of antimicrobial agents such as triclosan in consumer products has not been studied extensively. No data exist to support their efficacy when used in such products or any need for them...it may be prudent to avoid the use of antimicrobial agents in consumer products."
  

Visit Healthy Child Healthy World to learn safer ways to keep germs at bay.

Related Topics:

• Antibacterial Soap: Do You Need It to Keep Your Home Clean?
• Health eHome
• Going Green: Eco-Friendly Tips & Advice
• Get great tips from the Parenting & Children's Health Newsletter