|  | Public Health Safety | Public Health

Dangers of Waterless Hand Soap

Many businesses, offices and schools use waterless hand soaps exclusively because these soaps claim to remove bacteria. Some are antiseptic soaps, while others are alcohol-based. Both have their own unique pros and cons. However, there are little-known downsides and risks to using these soaps.

  1. Triclosan

    • Triclosan is a dangerous chemical found in many personal care products, including waterless hand soap. Triclosan is linked to many serious conditions, such as abnormalities in the endocrine system. These include thyroid hormone signaling, weakening of the immune system, birth defects, uncontrolled cell growth and unhealthy loss of weight. Under certain environmental circumstances, Triclosan generates chloroform. Triclosan is also showing up in waste water, breast milk and fish.

    Dirt Removal

    • For dirt and grime to be removed from the body, especially from your hands, there must be a friction which only standard soap and water hand cleaning can provide. The Centers for Disease Control says that when fighting off germs, regular soap and washing is the best choice. Waterless hand soap cannot remove certain substances, such as dirt or certain germs, which are already on your hands. Waterless antiseptics are not good cleaning agents because they fail to remove surface dirt, which means your hands are still dirty and contaminated.

    Ingestion

    • Because alcohol-based sanitizers have a 65 percent alcohol content, alcohol-based waterless soap poses a risk for children and teens. Children and teens ingesting can ingest the soap and become intoxicated. Some teens will knowingly ingest the alcohol-based soap to become intoxicated. Ingestion of too much of the soap can land a child in the hospital. For this reason, alcohol-based waterless soap is not recommended for use on infants, and small children should be monitored while using it.

    Flammability

    • Alcohol-based waterless hand soaps pose a threat because they are flammable. You should not smoke or be near an open flame after using this type of hand sanitizer. For this reason, some schools place large containers of the alcohol-based soap in special store rooms. This storage method is in accordane with Ohio Fire Code Regulations (OAC 1301:7-7-3405.5). While fires created by alcohol-based soap have not occurred in any schools, officials at the Chicago State Fire Marshal's office affirm that this is a possibility. Alcohol-based sanitizers have a 65 percent alcohol content, making them a risk for fires.

Public Health - Related Articles