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Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2010 08:41:28 -0400
Reply-To: DCHAS-L Discussion List <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU>
Sender: DCHAS-L Discussion List <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU>
From: Kim Auletta <kauletta**At_Symbol_Here**NOTES.CC.SUNYSB.EDU>
Subject: Re: Hand sanitizer
In-Reply-To: <C7F5B34B.15DAE%snuz**At_Symbol_Here**mac.com>
my bottle of Purell says its 62% ethanol.
Check the manufacturer's label for your product. I think most of them are
ethanol.
Also, our labs use 70% ethanol for cleaning, not IPA.
And, I'd rather ingest ethanol than isopropanol. Especially on the
weekend.;)
Kim Auletta
Lab Safety Specialist
EH&S Z=6200
Stony Brook University
kauletta**At_Symbol_Here**notes.cc.sunysb.edu
631-632-3032
EH&S Web site: http://www.stonybrook.edu/ehs/lab/
Remember to wash your hands!
From:
Christopher Suznovich
To:
DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU
Date:
04/22/2010 08:30 AM
Subject:
Re: [DCHAS-L] Hand sanitizer
Sent by:
DCHAS-L Discussion List
Actually hand sanitizers contain 90-99% isopropyl alcohol (IPA) which is
the active ingredient in rubbing alcohol because it works as a good
disinfectant. It is also the alcohol in the alcohol wipes and pads in
first aid kits. Ethanol would not be used because of the possibility of
people ingesting the gel to the ethanol and the possibility that any
quantity of ethanol may enter the blood stream through openings in the
skin such as cuts.
Hand sanitizer is not meant to be wiped off. You are supposed to rub your
hands together until the hand sanitizers is your hands are dry.
The issue with hand sanitizers is somewhere to some, since they are a
disinfectant they are better than soap or should be used more often than
they should. Having typically 99% IPA is an issue because there are
bacteria that can live in high alcohol environments. When cleaning and
disinfecting microbiology labs and work areas, a solution of 70% IPA is
used because of that possibility.
Regards,
Chris
From: List Moderator
Reply-To: DCHAS-L Discussion List
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2010 07:47:38 -0400
To:
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Hand sanitizer
From: "Ben Ruekberg"
Date: April 20, 2010 7:43:21 AM EDT
Subject: RE: [DCHAS-L] Hand sanitizer
> these units bring the whole aspect of hand hygiene to the student's mind
Thank you (and everyone else) for your input.
I do not wish to seem disputatious, but I think there are two reservations
concerning your answer.
1) Hand sanitizer, as it is not wiped off, merely moves contamination over
a wider area.
2) Hand sanitizers are principally ethanol, which may increase the
permeability of the skin, increasing the rate of absorption of a chemical
until such time as the hands are actually washed.
Again, I feel that what important here (and I may have an exaggerated
sense of its importance) is the distinction between behavior in the lab
and the "civilian" world. For instance, it is relatively safe to sit on
the floor or on a desk in the civilian world, but not in the lab. I think
Bertrand Russell sited the example of smoking as generally undesirable,
but in a nitroglycerin factory, criminal.
Ben
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