Putting Ethyl Based Hand Sanitizer

Should we wash hands after using hand sanitizer?

Short answer: If you’re not immunocompromised or taking broad spectrum antibiotics and aren’t going to come in contact with either of those two types, no.Long answer:From a microbiology standpoint:Hand sanitizer typically relies on alcohol to dissolve lipids and denatures proteins. However, to be effective enough to do so, you’d need an alcohol concentration of at least 70% ethyl alcohol, a concentration which is rarely achieved by most products. So after using hand sanitizer, you’ll probably kill 99.99% (provided you used it exactly as directed) of the Bacteria on your hand. Doesn’t sound too bad, right? The problem is that the 0.01% of bacteria still very alive and very capable of reproducing at an exponential rate.Furthermore, certain genera of bacteria are also very efficient at surviving chemical environments (such as the Clostridium genus, a “gut bacteria”). As such, they would form bacteria spores, shielding them from the alcohol and begin reproducing when they’re back into an ideal environment (such as the inside of your body).This is starting to seem very bleak huh? There is hope at the end of the tunnel, however.Your immune system and Bacterial flora of your own body are constantly fighting to prevent any of the Bacteria or fungi from growing out of control. As such, these two factors combined are the reason you can breathe in trillions of fungal spores without ever knowing and still be fine after you eat without washing your hands. That being said, if we were to kick out any of the two protective factors (if not both), then that 0.01% of bacteria or alcohol resistant ones can easily throw a party inside your body.Which is why hand washing is always recommended after the bathroom because even the worst bacteria can’t do much if you’ve washed it off your skin.

How safe is it to drink hand sanitizer?

Alcohol-based sanitizers containing 60–95% ethyl or isopropyl alcohol are used in many health care institutions as a primary infection control measure (1).  Even a 1-ounce bottle ingestion of a high ethanol content product may pose a hazard if ingested by small children. A 1-ounce ingestion of a hand sanitizer containing 62% ethanol by a 20-kg child may result in a blood ethanol concentration of >100 mg/dL (4). Typical alcohol related intoxication can be lethal in the range of >=400 mg/dL, although death has occurred at lower levels (2). Acute ethanol intoxication can lead to several serious life-threatening clinical consequences includinig hypothermia, central nervous system and respiratory depression, cardiac dysrhythmias or arrest, hypotension, nausea and vomiting, acute liver injury, myoglobinuria, lactic and ketoacidosis, and hypoglycemia(3). The primary therapy for severe ethanol overdose is primarily provided with airway protection, respiratory support, and addressing associated metabolic disturbances. Hemodialysis is effective at removing ethanol but is usually unnecessary if the airway is protected, there is no other severe organ injury present, and the patient is responding to supportive measures for cardiovascular and metabolic systems. Alcohol dehydrogenase inhibition with fomepizole is contraindicated in hand sanitizer ingestions, because toxicity from ethanol or propanols will be prolonged without added benefit (4). Ref 1.     Am J Health-Syst Pharm—Vol 65 Dec 1, 20082.     Crit Care Resusc 2003; 5:106–1083.     Eur J Intern Med 2008; 19:561–5674.     Critical care medicine 2012; 40 (1):290 -294

Will hand sanitizers cause you to get acne on your face if you put it on your face?

The short answer is: yes, it can.The long answer is:Hand sanitizers usually contain ethyl alcohol. The alcohol “sanitizes” whatever it is being rubbed on by killing germs, bacteria, etc. While this might be a good thing for your hands (especially during the cold and flu season), it’s not the best thing for your face.You have millions of bacteria living inside the pores of your skin. These bacteria feed off of the excess oil on your skin - and keep it clean.Acne occurs when dead skin cells pile up inside your pores, and clog them up. Since the bacteria no longer have access to excess oil, they basically starve to death. As they decompose, that causes a tiny infection in your skin. That infection is called “acne”.So the bacteria on your face are a good thing. I want to keep them healthy and alive. Rubbing hand sanitizer, or an alcohol pad for that matter, can definitely cause acne, particularly if your face is not clean to begin with. If you kill the bacteria, and force dead skin cells into your pores - by smearing the alcohol pad around your face - it definitely sets you up for an acne flare up.

If you filter the alcohol out of hand sanitizer and put the alcohol in a drink, can you die?

Yes you can. Filtering ethyl alcohol from hand sanitizer and making a drink out of it will not result in an immortality potion and you can still die after drinking it.All joking aside, will this kill you? No. Will it be gross? Yeah, really gross. If you're doing this kind of thing you probably should seek counseling for your alcoholism. Of course if you're fifteen and just can't buy alcohol yet, find something else to occupy your time.