Comments on: Do hand sanitizers really work?

By: brittany

brittany — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 18:15:29 +0000

i love hand sanitizer soooooooooooooooooooooooooo much i use it every day of my life goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo hand sanitizer

By: JJL

JJL — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 16:37:52 +0000

^^^ LOL.

By: HLS

HLS — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 13:24:30 +0000

I WAS RECENTLY ARRESTED FOR DWI AND WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL TO SUBMIT TO A BAC TEST, THE RESULTS WERE .090. BUT TWO HOURS PRIOR TO THE TEST I USED A GENEROUS AMOUNT OF HAND SANITIZER, COULD THE HAND SANITIZER EFFECT THE BAC RESULTS.

By: Libby

Libby — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 16:58:14 +0000

None can doubt the veracity of this ariclte.

By: T Peacock

T Peacock — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:39:13 +0000

Unfortunately this bald statement of Prof Scott lacks the limitations needed to qualify such a statement. As the Mayo Clinic clearly points out, ALCOHOL BASED hand sanitzers work. There is enough research available which clearly states that non-alcohol based hand sanitizers DO NOT work.

By: Luke Chapman

Luke Chapman — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:31:28 +0000

An interesting article and some interesting responses too. I’ve recently taken on a new range of sanitisers and was searching the internet to get a bit of background information. Unlike alcohol based hand sanitisers this range works at a molecular level, targeting the bacteria, viruses and fungi themselves, leaving the environment or surface unaffected. In doing this it builds a residual barrier on the surface that goes on protecting against re-contamination, unlike alcohol based sanitisers that are only effective when wet. This barrier has been proven to stay effective over 30 days in clinical trials. I’d like to get your thoughts and views on the range and possible comparissons against the alcohol based sanitising products that you’ve been discussing. I’m not sure if I can post links here so please search RBT 24/7 for full information.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:16:28 +0000

While the alcohol based foam is effective and we have very good compliance of use by all caregivers, they have very dry hands.
So they bring in their favorite hand lotion to use. A consultant now says we must ban all hand lotion EXCEPT on type because the lotion renders the alcohol based foam sanitizer ineffective. This makes no sense to me and I cannot find the resarch either way. Any suggestions?

By: tracey

tracey — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:02:00 +0000

Thats all well and good but the stuff is not so much fun when you have a twelve year old girl who gets a headache, light headed and vomits everytime someone uses it around her and the government decices it has to be in every school for the children to stay safe!
Wonder if anyone has any information to help my daughter avoid this stuff when she has it in her school.

By: Dr. James Scott

Dr. James Scott — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:42:07 +0000

Shweta – there is strong suggestion that H1N1 is not like other flu viruses in that it can be transmitted by contact as well as aerosols.

Dr. Merritt, a pubmed search using “hand sanitizer” or “hand hygiene” as a keyword terms will not reach much of the relevant literature. I suggest you start by reading the very comprehensive review given in chapter 96 (pp 1727-1746) of Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Control, 2nd edition.

By: Dr. Grant Merritt

Dr. Grant Merritt — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:21:57 +0000

Dr. Scott’s opinions are very interesting but I have done PubMed searches and don’t find the research to back up his claims. Yes, alcohol based sanitizers work well on clean, inantimate surfaces, (that’s where most of the studies have been performed), but I can’t find any reputable research that shows that they work any better than soap and water on human skin. The problem with the general public is that they are not washing their hands several times an hour and the bio-burden on a runny-nosed little kid’ hands will quickly render the gels and foams ineffective. Of course if we’re to uncaring or too lazy to wash our hands at least they may smell better.