One of the reason that H-E-B Stores is so popular is because of their reputation for innovation and community service. Now they're even more popular thanks to introducing the alcohol-free hand sanitizer brand "Soapopular"
H-E-B, with sales of more than $15 billion, operates more than 300 stores in Texas and Mexico. Based in San Antonio, H-E-B employs more than 70,000 Partners and serves millions of customers in more than 150 communities.
Read the press release by clicking here
Friday, November 20, 2009
Putting Booze into Kids Hands: Alcohol Hand Sanitizer
Purell markets itself as ‘Mother Nature's disinfectant'. But while they kill germs, alcohol-based hand sanitizers are apparently no match for some aspects of human nature. Curiosity and compulsion have led some people, including children, to sniff or drink the cleansing goo for a cheap high.
"The best way to drink hand sanitizer is straight, like whiskey, and down it ‘like a shot,'" a 15-year-old student in Toronto recently told Maclean's magazine. "Undiluted, the alcohol-based liquid tastes a little like ‘vodka and bug spray,'" Maclean's reported.
At 62 percent ethyl alcohol, Purell is more than 120 proof -- the equivalent of a strong rum or whiskey. To effectively kill germs, alcohol content must be at least 60 percent; stronger hand sanitizers may contain as much as 85 percent.
Yet for addicts desperate for an alcohol fix, hand sanitizer is accessible, cheap, and gets the job done. And its abuse is something that crosses state and national boundaries.
In the village of Selawik, located in northwest Alaska, several people are accused of stealing several large bottles of the gel last month from a convenience store's back room and getting drunk off of it. In Canada, shipments to fight flu were delayed to some First Nations communities where alcohol abuse is prevalent over fears people would drink it. Last month in Britain, prison inmates drank enough of the stuff to get drunk and start a brawl, leading to a ban on hand gel.
Wells says sniffing and drinking hand sanitizers is also a risk for children, teens and young adults who may find it easier to access than liquor, or who may be experimenting with intoxicants in general. When a teacher in Canada noticed her 8- and 9-year old students "acting strange and giggling" during a recent walk, her detective work got them to confess they had swallowed hand sanitizer at school just before the walk, according to Macleans.
Far more potent than beer, wine and many liquors, Wells sees a high potential for abuse in communities that ban alcohol, and suspects hand sanitizers may have "a tremendous potential for homebrew."
"The bottom line," she said, "is that anything that contains ethanol or isopropyl alcohol can have the potential for being abused and we just need to be aware."
Monday, November 9, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Alcohol Hand Sanitizer Poisoning Doubles on Staten Island, NY
Courtesy of StatenIslandLive.com
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- It's become a common tool in a parent's arsenal against swine flu and the common cold -- a bottle of alcohol hand sanitizer.
But as an increasing number of parents citywide have learned, it's got an alcohol content higher than most hard liquors.
Hand sanitizers typically contain 62 percent ethyl alcohol -- the same type of alcohol in beverages, but processed and concentrated differently.
The city's poison-control centers have seen 25 hand sanitizer ingestion cases over the past month -- more than double the 10 to 12 per month they typically see, according to officials with the city Health Department.
"Exposure is among children, and generally from hand to mouth," Health Department officials said in an e-mailed statement.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- It's become a common tool in a parent's arsenal against swine flu and the common cold -- a bottle of alcohol hand sanitizer.
But as an increasing number of parents citywide have learned, it's got an alcohol content higher than most hard liquors.
Hand sanitizers typically contain 62 percent ethyl alcohol -- the same type of alcohol in beverages, but processed and concentrated differently.
The city's poison-control centers have seen 25 hand sanitizer ingestion cases over the past month -- more than double the 10 to 12 per month they typically see, according to officials with the city Health Department.
"Exposure is among children, and generally from hand to mouth," Health Department officials said in an e-mailed statement.
Friday, November 6, 2009
North Carolina Facing Increased Problems With Alcohol Hand Sanitizers
More people are taking extra precautions to avoid getting the H1N1 flu virus.
But one germ-killing product is raising its own health concerns.
A North Carolina mother claims her 2-year-old son had a strange reaction to [alcohol] hand sanitizer.
Angie Dameron says she applied [alcohol] foam sanitizer to her toddler’s hands just before he ate his meal.
She says a half-hour later, her son could barely walk, and was acting funny.
After speaking with a nurse, Dameron says they came to the conclusion that the sanitizer was to blame.
A health official at Morehead Memorial Hospital says you shouldn’t over look the dangers of alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
“Sometimes we take for granted that this is a powerful and toxic substance to small children especially,” said Annie Mills, RN. “The alcohol hand sanitizer products are made up of 62% ethyl alcohol roughly and that is equivalent of 120 proof alcohol.“
A spokesperson for the Carolinas Poision Center says an estimated 300 calls have come in this year from parents concerned about kids getting into alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
University of Minnesota Expert: Alcohol Free Hand Sanitizers Effective Way to Kill Flu Virus
"..All hand sanitizers depend on you using them correctly, but they would easily be able to kill the influenza virus. Alcohol-free hand sanitizers that use Benzalkonium Chloride is an effective way to kill the flu virus..."
Dr. Pat Schlievert, Department of Microbiology, University of Minnesota Medical School
Dr. Pat Schlievert, Department of Microbiology, University of Minnesota Medical School
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
ABC News Arizona: Testing Hand Sanitizers:
Do hand sanitizers really work? We put them to the test
Last Update: 10/27 7:09 pm |
But is it? What about those hand sanitizers many people carry around. Do they work better? Or at all?
Many Valley kids are doing it; playing games like basketball and cheering each other on from the sidelines. You better believe that plenty of their hands touched the ball too.
This is often how viruses and other bacteria are spread. So we put hand sanitizers to the test and found out if they’re the same and if soap and water better protect you from getting sick.
In the test, 16 nine and ten-year-olds tried eight products, half name brand hand sanitizers and half generics. Four others tried soap and/or just water.
Here's one student's theory: "If you wash your hands with water you get a couple off your hands, but if you use soap and water you'll probably get most of the germs off your hands."
The test worked like this: Each child touched their finger tips to a petri dish before treatment. Then a squirt of hand sanitizer and they touched the petri dish again. Most hand sanitizers contain some kind of alcohol compound, either ethyl or isopropyl.
Then the petri dishes were sent to Burt Anderson, a Professor of Molecular Medicine at theUniversity of South Florida
The results were pretty clear. In the petri dish from one student's test, Burt Anderson says there were 90 to 100 colonies of bacteria before she used an alcohol-free foaming hand sanitizer.
In the test, 16 nine and ten-year-olds tried eight products, half name brand hand sanitizers and half generics. Four others tried soap and/or just water.
Here's one student's theory: "If you wash your hands with water you get a couple off your hands, but if you use soap and water you'll probably get most of the germs off your hands."
The test worked like this: Each child touched their finger tips to a petri dish before treatment. Then a squirt of hand sanitizer and they touched the petri dish again. Most hand sanitizers contain some kind of alcohol compound, either ethyl or isopropyl.
Then the petri dishes were sent to Burt Anderson, a Professor of Molecular Medicine at the
The results were pretty clear. In the petri dish from one student's test, Burt Anderson says there were 90 to 100 colonies of bacteria before she used an alcohol-free foaming hand sanitizer.
“In this case it was a hand sanitizer using the compound called benzalkonium chloride. You can see a drastic and dramatic reduction to no colonies at all,”
Ohio School Superintendent: USE NON-ALCOHOL HAND SANITIZER RE: SWINE FLU
Flu season is upon us
If you haven't already experienced it or heard about it, the flu season is upon us. Specifically, I am referring to the fact that the H1N1 virus is now present in Adams County. It has been reported to me that we have some "lab confirmed cases" of H1N1 in our school district. I passed this information along to parents on Oct. 9.
Since it really isn't time for our "normal" flu season to get cranked up, all cases of flu at this time are being considered as H1N1 (swine flu) whether or not they have been confirmed as such through lab testing. Lab testing per case/individual costs about $500.
Obviously, due to the costs involved, everyone showing symptoms of flu will not be tested for H1N1. Regardless of the number of reported lab tested cases for H1N1 in Adams County, the actual number of people infected with this virus is probably a lot higher than we think or know.
So, let's review things that we can all do to help control the spread of this virus:
1. Sneeze and/or cough into a handkerchief or tissue, and not into the open air. If you don't have a tissue, then sneeze/cough into your shirt sleeve by placing your elbow up to your face. This cuts down on germs being spread through the air and landing on other objects that could come into contact with your skin and/or body openings.
2. Use the "hands off the face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of the face.
3. Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with an antibacterial soap.
4. Use hand sanitizer frequently, preferably one that has a non-alcohol base.
5. Keep some sanitary wipes handy to wipe down desktops, tabletops, railings, doorknobs, phones, computer keyboards, etc.
6. Clean restroom areas frequently and thoroughly.
7. Don't share water bottles, cups, glasses, etc.
8. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water. Simple gargling prevents proliferation.
9. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C, such as citrus fruits.
10. Drink as much of warm liquids as you can. Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse
 | Pat Kimble Superintendent Adams County/Ohio Valley School District |
Since it really isn't time for our "normal" flu season to get cranked up, all cases of flu at this time are being considered as H1N1 (swine flu) whether or not they have been confirmed as such through lab testing. Lab testing per case/individual costs about $500.
Obviously, due to the costs involved, everyone showing symptoms of flu will not be tested for H1N1. Regardless of the number of reported lab tested cases for H1N1 in Adams County, the actual number of people infected with this virus is probably a lot higher than we think or know.
So, let's review things that we can all do to help control the spread of this virus:
1. Sneeze and/or cough into a handkerchief or tissue, and not into the open air. If you don't have a tissue, then sneeze/cough into your shirt sleeve by placing your elbow up to your face. This cuts down on germs being spread through the air and landing on other objects that could come into contact with your skin and/or body openings.
2. Use the "hands off the face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of the face.
3. Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with an antibacterial soap.
4. Use hand sanitizer frequently, preferably one that has a non-alcohol base.
5. Keep some sanitary wipes handy to wipe down desktops, tabletops, railings, doorknobs, phones, computer keyboards, etc.
6. Clean restroom areas frequently and thoroughly.
7. Don't share water bottles, cups, glasses, etc.
8. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water. Simple gargling prevents proliferation.
9. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C, such as citrus fruits.
10. Drink as much of warm liquids as you can. Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
FOX NEWS: Swine Flu :Problems With Alcohol Hand Sanitizer
Courtesy of FOX News.
For a conservative media platform such as Fox News; a media company that rarely challenges a product from a "Major Brand Company," simply because they don't want to offend an advertiser or sponsor, its refreshing to see this newssegment. It provides a thought provoking report on the dangerous issues regarding the promotion of alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
For a conservative media platform such as Fox News; a media company that rarely challenges a product from a "Major Brand Company," simply because they don't want to offend an advertiser or sponsor, its refreshing to see this newssegment. It provides a thought provoking report on the dangerous issues regarding the promotion of alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Minnesota: Alcohol Hand Sanitizer Poisoning on The rise
Poison Control Inundated with Hand Sanitizer Calls
Poison Control Centers have been inundated with calls about hand sanitizers. Health officials say ingesting it can be potentially harmful to children. They say hand sanitizers contain more alcohol than a bottle of vodka.Hennepin County Poison Control Center told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS it has been flooded with emergency calls about hand sanitizer. In one case, a 77-year-old with dementia mistakenly drank nearly an entire bottle. However, health officials say children are at the greatest risk.
"Daycare, they got into the bottle or we squirted something on their hands after lunch to to wash their hands and one kid thought it smelled good and licked it," said Kirk Hughes from Minnesota Poison Control, giving an example of some of the calls they have been receiving.
He said in some cases children are mistaking the colorful bottles for juice. He said small amounts are harmless, but a few mouthfuls could leave them legally drunk.
"An intoxicated child is a medical emergency. They can actually go into a low blood sugar coma or diabetic coma," said Hughes.
Earlier this week, the Centers for Disease Control updated it's recommendation to include new alcohol-free sanitizers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
