|
One of the health practices that people should observe is washing their hands. It is very important for the hands to be clean and bacteria-free, because the hands are used in eating, feeding, and touching other parts of our body. As such, the hands are the most vital vessels of bacteria transmission. In fact, you can even transmit bacteria to other people with your hands by simple gestures such as shaking hands with them and giving others a pat or two. While not all situations provide the convenience of hand washing, the most practical alternative to this is hand sanitizer. A hand sanitizer is actually a supplement to hand washing with soap and water. There are many different forms of sanitizers available in the market. Some of these sanitizers include foam, gel, and liquid solutions. However, are hand sanitizers safe to use frequently? Moreover, are hand sanitizers really effective substitutes to hand washing with soap and water? Not many people may know that the active ingredients of hand sanitizers includes ethanol, isopropanol, povidone-iodine, and n-propanol. In other words, most hand sanitizers are based in alcohol products. Alcohol based sanitizers are proven to be more effective in killing germs than soaps. Moreover, these sanitizers do not dry out hands as much as soap and other disinfectants. However, because of the concern of the safety of alcohol based products, recent development in sanitizers include the incorporation of natural products to replace the quantity of alcohol in the solution. On the other hand, it must be noted that for hand sanitizers to be effective, the alcohol content should be at least 60%. It is also imperative to note that sanitizer should never be used alone after using a toilet as sanitizer was never intended to be a complete substitute for washing and should only be used as a supplement to soap and water (especially when water is not available). One of the safety concerns that most people raise on the use of hand sanitizers is the possibility of accidental ingestion of alcohol contained in sanitizers. This has indeed posed a major concern most especially with kids. Unlike adults, kids are not very careful and mindful about the safety measures that they should observe with sanitizers. Sanitizers are definitely not advisable to be swallowed or placed in the mouth. As such, extra measures should be observed when administering hand sanitizers to kids. Another safety concern is the possibility of alcohol gel catching fire. Although some sanitizers may not really produce this effect because of the high water concentration in the solution, alcohol gel is generally flammable. The necessary precaution that is advised to alcohol users is to rub their hands dry after the application of alcohol or hand sanitizer. While health is the primary concern of everyone, safety should also be considered alongside. In order to ensure health and safety at the same time, it is essential to be aware of the possible dangers of using hand sanitizer frequently, and other safer alternative measures to hand sanitizers. However, it is pleasing to know that as long as people use hand sanitizers responsibly, this product can effectively serve its purpose.
Low cost touch free sanitizer stations and discount office furniture.
|
