Alcohol or chlorine based hand sanitizers, what’s your take?
With the recent ebola issues and other viruses in Africa and elsewhere, hand sanitizers
have become very common. You shake someone, you run to your hand sanitizer. You
are a receptionist you handle your client’s documents, you run to your hand
sanitizer. In every public place - toilets, offices, homes, schools and even at
security posts - you find them there. But the question is; how safe are these
hand sanitizers?
Several research have shown that even though the alcohol hand sanitizers are effective against micro-organisms (especially bacteria), killing them as soon as they come in contact with the skin, it leaves the skin dry and excessively removes protective dead skin cells leaving the skin more prone to infection. Chlorine based hand sanitizers on the other hand have been shown to be effective against both bacteria and norovirus and it protects the hand for hours after application as it does not dry up as fast as the alcohol hand sanitizers but has been shown to cause a number of allergic reactions.
With this knowledge, if you were to choose a hand sanitizer, which would you choose? Post your choice in the comments section.
Several research have shown that even though the alcohol hand sanitizers are effective against micro-organisms (especially bacteria), killing them as soon as they come in contact with the skin, it leaves the skin dry and excessively removes protective dead skin cells leaving the skin more prone to infection. Chlorine based hand sanitizers on the other hand have been shown to be effective against both bacteria and norovirus and it protects the hand for hours after application as it does not dry up as fast as the alcohol hand sanitizers but has been shown to cause a number of allergic reactions.
With this knowledge, if you were to choose a hand sanitizer, which would you choose? Post your choice in the comments section.
Well, alcohol is to bacteria what chlorine is to viruses. This explains why chlorine is used as a disinfectant in the battle against Ebola.
ReplyDeleteFor me, i would say its good to have both. Use whichever is applicable in whatever environment you find yourself. However if i must choose, i will go for the chlorine (subject to test for allergy on a small portion of my skin) cos its more encompassing
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the typical African man's white blood cell can (to an extent) tackle bacteria based infections. This is because of the environment we find ourselves in. (unclean water and the likes).having said that, it is advisable to focus on what you have less protection against - Virus based infections. So chlorine it is.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if we can have an alcohol - chlorine based hand sanitizer.....
ReplyDeleteBut well,the more it does the better so my vote goes for chlorine.