US Navy Bans Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers

Excerpted email sent to manufacturer of one of the more popular alcohol-free hand sanitizers from a senior civilian executive at the US Naval Surface Warfare Department..

"...Funny thing, I was aboard an Aircraft Carrier two weeks ago and the officer in charge of hazardous material management mentioned to me (without asking) that they are unable to carry hand sanitizers on the ship due to their flammability and sometimes drinkability. I bet you can guess what I told him. I’m looking into what I can do in such a case. There are restrictions called out in official documentation that prevent the ship from utilizing hand sanitizers due to the alcohol content. What the documents are lacking, is the option to use alcohol-free alternatives that could be qualified for use. These documents never change overnight, but with the right push and a few phone calls, we can get the ball rolling. The ship really does want hand sanitizers to be available to the sailors, but cannot work around the restrictions at this time. I’ll see what I can do from this end to help them out.

Tallahassee Schools Prepare for New Season: Advising Parents to Go With Alcohol Free Hand Sanitizers

Click on the title link to see the school advisory i.e. back to school products.. Notice the focus on "alcohol-free hand sanitizers"

There's only 1 Hand Sanitizer at Wal-Mart.com and its ALCOHOL-FREE

Many congrats to merchandisers at Wal-Mart for putting their hands around an alcohol-free product to be the exclusive hand sanitizer product on their on-line shopping platform!!

Hospitals Now Favoring Benzalkonium Chloride Hand Sanitizers; discarding alcohol-based gels

For those within the hospital industry, below excerpts from Neticasolution should lend a hand as you watch your peers toss out alcohol-based hand sanitizers and opt for a safer, friendlier and equally effective product to maintain proper hand hygiene protocols within your facilities.

Applications are extremely wide ranging, from disinfectant formulations to microbial corrosion inhibition in the oilfield sector. It has been considered one of the safest synthetic biocides known and has a long history of efficacious use. It is currently used in human pharmaceuticals such as leave-on skin antiseptics, hygienic towelettes, and wet wipes. Ethanol-free benzalkonium solutions are often used for skin disinfection prior to withdrawing blood for blood alcohol content tests.

Benzalkonium chloride solutions are rapidly acting biocidal agents with a moderately long duration of action. They are active against bacteria and some viruses, fungi, and protozoa. Bacterial spores are considered to be resistant. Solutions are bacteriostatic or bactericidal according to their concentration

Newer formulations using benzalkonium blended with various quaternary ammonium derivatives can be used to extend the biocidal spectrum and enhance the efficacy of benzalkonium based disinfection products. This technique has been used to improve virucidal activity of quaternary ammonium-based formulations to healthcare infection hazards such as hepatitis, HIV, etc. Quaternary ammonium formulations are now the disinfectants of choice for hospitals. This is on account of user and patient safety even on contact with treated surfaces and the absence of harmful fumes. Benzalkonium solutions for hospital use tend to be neutral to alkaline, non-corrosive on metal surfaces, non-staining and safe to use on all washable surfaces.

Some products have been reformulated in light of this research, but it is still widely used in eyewashes, hand and face washes, mouthwashes, spermicidal creams, and in various other cleaners, sanitizers, and disinfectants.

Maryland Elementary School: Alcohol Hand Sanitizer linked to dangerous air quality level in portable classroom

An independent study of the air quality inside six portable classrooms at Kemptown Elementary School in Monrovia
In April, Laura Olsen, industrial hygienist for Frederick County Public Schools, tested the indoor air quality of the portables and found carbon dioxide sources of hydrocarbons directly related to hand sanitizer products in one portable.

Yikes.

Hand Hygiene Myths

Myth 26. Soap kills germs. – Plain (non-antibacterial) hand soap does not kill germs. Instead, it lifts the germs off the surface of your skin, forcing them to be washed down the drain. You want to use a non-antimicrobial soap.

Myth 27. Alcohol is a great antiseptic for open wounds. – Alcohol is a great disinfectant for intact skin and inanimate, non-living things. Alcohol is not effective or healthy when applied into open wounds. When used on open, exposed tissue, alcohol actually kills some of the human tissue along with the germs. This can drastically delay the healing of larger wounds.

Exactly why we take the side of NON-alcohol based hand sanitizing products when washing with soap and water isn't convenient

University of Washington Finds e.Coli threat on campus keyboards

Courtesy of the Seattle Times---we all know that computer keyboards are a petrie dish when it comes to hosting easily transmitted germs and bacteria, and here's a story that merely reminds us that good hand hygiene, and proper hand sanitizer products can help diminish the risk...Btw--kudos again to the gang at MGS Soapopular for the many Hy5's they've been getting in connection with powering CleanMedia's Sanipost hand sanitizer dispensing kiosks located throughout Detroit's Comerica Park

By Arla Shephard

Seattle Times staff reporter


E-mail may not be all that's at your fingertips if you use computers at the University of Washington — or for that matter, if you touch public keyboards just about anywhere.

As part of a research project, eight UW students have discovered high levels of fecal coliform, the bacteria found in fecal matter, on keyboards at the two busiest computer area.
Keyboards at Odegaard were cleaned Thursday, the day after an article about the findings was printed in the UW student paper, The Daily, said UW spokesman Bob Roseth.

Library officials said the keyboards would now be cleaned on a weekly basis and that they are looking at ways to make sure all public keyboards on campus are sanitary.

The discussion comes amid a general growing awareness of the nasty things we pass around on shared surfaces such as gym benches, telephones and grocery-cart handles.

Raising awareness that there are risks associated with keyboards is important, especially in places like hospitals where nurses and doctors use them after treating patients, said Gwy-Am Shin, an associate professor at the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences.

Hand Hygiene: Funny but Frightening

Courtesy of DJ Tini--a bit of a lampoon, but the fact is that we're increasingly exposed to an assortment of germs and bacteria, and the scary part is that too many still don't realize that the legacy, alcohol-based gel hand sanitizers are not terribly protective--and we'd be better off not using those products at all. If washing with soap and water isn't convenient--use an alcohol-free hand sanitizer product that has been vigorously researched and proven.