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Health Risks Related to Hand Sanitizer

A hand sanitizer is a solution that is used to clean hands without water. Many people use hand sanitizer before eating food or to help prevent outbreak of flu and cold. Hand sanitizer, usually a colorless gel, can also be useful to help ward off outbreaks of Swine Flu (H1N1). Although hand sanitizers can be effective at removing germs and preventing disease, hand sanitizers also have their own risks.

  1. Presence of Alcohol

    • In most brands of hand sanitizers, the active ingredient is alcohol. Most sanitizers have alcohol in high proportion, in excess of 60 percent, to make them more effective in killing bacteria. Although the excess of alcohol kills bacteria in huge numbers, it doesn’t penetrate the skin and reach its inner layers. Thus, it may not be able to fully remove all bacteria, and some of the most stubborn bacteria tend to be the ones that survive. Second, alcohol does not kill the common bacteria, E coli, which is one the primary hosts for a number of digestive system-related illnesses. As a result, people who use hand sanitizers in place of soap and water and believe the sanitizer fully cleans their hands may be at risk of infection caused by the bacteria that the sanitizer doesn't affect.

    Irritation

    • Alcohol-based sanitizers can cause some potential irritation and side effects in those who use them excessively or who are prone to a reaction. For many people, the irritation is limited to their skin becoming dried out, but according to Natural Health News, those who are sensitive to sanitizers may experience dizziness, flushing, headaches, nausea, vomiting, depression and such extreme conditions as coma. When the active ingredient, isopropyl alcohol, mixes with triclosan, the combination can be lethal. When added to water and seen under ultra-violet light; this mixture was seen to be high in chlorinated dioxin. This in turn produces high amounts of chloroform, a potential carcinogen. Triclosan is also known to be a fertile breeding ground for many bacteria that are drug-resistant. Ironically, this substance can also kill good bacteria on the skin that protect it against some infections.

    Potential for Abuse

    • Since hand sanitizers contain very high levels of alcohol, there is a danger that the sanitizers may be consumed. Stanford Wellsphere reports that consumption of a hand sanitizer can be extremely dangerous. Just 200 ml of isopropanol can choke the central nervous system and the heart. Stanford Wellsphere stated that there there have been at least two accounts of consumption: a prison inmate who became "loony" after drinking Purell, and a 43-year-old woman who experienced chest pains after drinking water mixed with hand sanitizer.

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