What Chemicals are in Hand Sanitizer?
Hand sanitizers are used to kill germs and avoid preventable illnesses such as colds, the flu and gastrointestinal bugs. Some hand sanitizers use alcohol as their active ingredient to do their work; while this is safe for some, it puts a segment of the population at risk of injury or death. Some groups have advocated keeping alcohol-based hand sanitizers out of homes with children. Does this Spark an idea?
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Ingredients
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Ethyl alcohol (62 percent) is in the brands Purell and Germ-X. This is the active ingredient. Inactive ingredients include acrylates/c10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, benzophenone-4, fragrance, glycerin, tocopherol and water.
Significance
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While hand sanitizers, both gel and wipes, serve a good health purpose, there is a risk in using them on or around children. Parents, caregivers and day-care providers must exercise caution in their use.
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Misconceptions
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Hand sanitizers do not kill some protozoa that cause serious intestinal illnesses, the tetanus germ, botulism germ or anthrax. Alcohol-based sanitizers also will not kill the norovirus, calicvirus, picornavirus or the parovirus.
Benefits
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Using hand sanitizers when water and soap are unavailable results in the reduction of gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses by 59 percent. This reduction is tied to the decreased spread of contagion-causing germs.
Warning
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Small children, who learn about their world by using all of their senses (including taste), do lick the gel off their hands after "washing." In at least two instances, this has led to alcohol poisoning, requiring emergency medical intervention.
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