These days the choice of antiseptics is huge, antiseptics, sanitizers, gels, sprays, wipes, etc., it seems they are firmly integrated into our lives and sold in all stores. However, antiseptics came into use quite recently and did not gain their popularity immediately. First of all, antiseptics began to be used in surgery to prevent the transmission and spread of pathogenic microorganisms. However, even in the medical community this idea did not take root immediately, and the question of efficacy and usefulness was debated by doctors for a long time. However, in the second half of the 20th century, various kinds of antiseptics began to appear not only in medical institutions, but also on the shelves of pharmacies and specialized stores and, by the end of the 20th century, in ordinary stores. But the peak of popularity of these means is when the virus COVID-19 spread to the whole planet, and the World Health Organization announced the beginning of the pandemic.
At one point the demand exceeded the supply many times over and it was impossible to buy antiseptics. This situation, of course, did not last long and soon store shelves were again flooded with antiseptics of various formulations. Along with them came the question of their quality and effectiveness. Are all of them really harmless to humans and capable of protecting against a new disease?
The American company Touchland sold three times as many antibacterial gels. Company managers claimed that at one point there were more than 25,000 buyers on a waiting list to purchase sanitizers.
Studies of antiseptic agents were conducted long before the coronavirus infection began, but such articles did not find excitement among ordinary people. In particular, specialists at Kyoto Prefectural Medical University in Japan conducted such an experiment. After people who got the flu sneezed on their palms, they immediately treated them with antibacterial agents. And scientists checked a few minutes later, whether the virus remained on the hands.
They found that as long as there was mucus on their hands, the antibacterial agent didn’t kill the flu virus until four minutes later. And if the hands were dry, the disinfectant killed the virus within 30 seconds. Half a minute is enough time to wash any virus off your hands with soap, whether it’s dry or not. The Japanese scientists believe that in the case of wiping hands that left wet mucus on them, the participants in the experiment may well not have rubbed the product into the skin well enough. “We need to continue the research to offer people a better kind of care while protecting against infection,” says Ryohae Hirose, a molecular gastroenterologist and co-director of the study.
The test was conducted using an alcohol solution. And its results completely contradict the results of the U.S. scientists’ study. University of Arizona microbiologist Charles Gerba, a professor, claims that in their experiment, 11 seconds was enough for volunteers to get rid of the virus on their hands.
More specific results were given by researchers at the University of Ottawa (Canada). They studied the effect of sanitizers, for which advertising claimed that they were 99 percent destroying germs. In fact, the Canadians found, this figure reaches 60 per cent at best. But such cases are few.
Information about various kinds of antiseptics appears not only in scientific publications. The topic has been picked up by popular magazines. From the pages of glossy publications, various experts have begun to warn of the dangers of constant use of sanitizers.
Dermatologist Elena Kovtunova, a doctor, told about each person’s own microcosm on the skin, which can be disturbed by the use of antiseptics. “Human skin contains a huge number of microorganisms and bacteria, which can usually lead to serious pathologies and health failures. That said, a person is already used to what has gathered and settled on his skin: this is what is called his own microbiocenosis. Certain bacteria have settled on the skin in certain numbers, and the immune system has become accustomed to them. So, for example, all these remedies kill our own microbiocenosis when used for a long time. That’s because they kill most bacteria on the skin, including those that we are already used to and consider “our own.”
Many antiseptics contain alcohols. Alcohol dries quickly, disinfects the skin and evaporates instantly. However, there is a disadvantage: alcohol dries the skin. And this causes the formation of microcracks and the appearance of entry gates for other infections. In addition, these products have perfume, designed to muffle the smell of alcohol. And they become a source of allergic reactions. Do not forget about the recommended doses of alcohol in the composition. So, according to many studies, low alcohol content can only make things worse. An insufficient percentage of alcohol in the solution will lead to a false illusion of clean hands and a greater risk of infection.
You should also pay attention to the active ingredient in the products. For example, some of them may contain triclosan. This is an antiseptic that kills up to 100% of all existing microorganisms on the skin. In fact, it is an antibiotic and its constant use leads to the development of increased resistance of microorganisms.
In addition, it can contain lactic acid, chlorhexidine, etc. It is not uncommon to write on the packaging that the product contains substances that moisturize the skin, such as vitamin E. However, the combination of this vitamin and alcohols together is unlikely to be good.
Let us understand a little more about what sanitizers are. A sanitizer is a type of hand sanitizer that is used in health care environments to prevent the transmission of pathogens, as well as for basic hand hygiene in places where sinks and soap are not available.
Now the arsenal of antiseptic and disinfectants is diverse: surfactants (quaternary ammonium compounds, for example – miramistine), chlorine-containing (chloramine B). The most common forms of sanitizers are: liquid solutions, gels, foams.
The active ingredient in a hand sanitizer is usually an alcoholic solution. For example: isopropyl alcohol – CH3CH(OH)CH3, ethanol or ethyl alcohol – C2H5OH, propyl alcohol – C3H7OH. In addition, povidone iodine, a complex of iodine with polyvinylpyrrolidone (C6H9NO)n , is quite popular.
Excipients typically include a thickener such as polyacrylic acid, humectants such as glycerin, and propylene glycol, and plant essential oils.
Their ease of use and wide variety on store shelves made them very popular and in demand, especially during the COVID-19 epidemic. Today there are so many names of sanitizers that sometimes it is very difficult to determine which one is really effective in practice.
In order to understand this we propose to make our own research of the quality of available sanitizers. As materials for the study, we suggest taking some of the most popular recipes from the Internet, analyze their composition and compliance with WHO requirements for hand sanitizers. Replicate the formulation of the selected products using the materials provided for the case study. Analyze the effectiveness of the antiseptics obtained.
When assessing the quality of a hand sanitizer, we need to pay attention to the pathogens of which etiology it affects. If we choose a product with antibacterial action, then we must understand that during the exacerbation of acute respiratory viral infections, influenza, coronavirus and other viral infections, it will be ineffective, because it is designed to fight bacteria. The best sanitizer would be one that has an antiseptic effect that can kill both bacteria and viruses.
An effective skin antiseptic must have three main properties that are difficult to combine:
High effectiveness against a wide range of microorganisms,
the absence of harmful effects on the skin and human body,
rapid evaporation from the skin surface.