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As the chilly fall weather rolls in, so does the notorious cold and flu season. For a college student at the University of Maine, this means going the long way to the Memorial Union to avoid being stuck downwind of a peer’s cough, and using whatever means necessary to try and repel germs.
As I write this article, I am using laptop in bed, plagued by the latest on-campus bug. I don’t live on campus, and can usually steer clear of what’s going around. I can only imagine how many people who live on campus are sick right now as well.
I would like to think that I am a cautious person when it comes to sickness. I drink lots of fluids, eat well and, like so many others, use hand sanitizer after coming in contact with a public object.
Hand sanitizers to me have always been considered a miraculous invention, engineered to help the everyday person deal with everyday germs. It wasn’t until I overheard a friend voicing her distrust in them that I questioned their integrity.
According to her theory, the use of hand sanitizers creates a type of drug-resistant bacteria, which is more advanced than the current antibacterial treatments. In other words, hand sanitizers increase one’s chance of getting sick.
As soon as I heard this theory, I had to find out if it was fact or fiction. Suddenly, that plastic Purell box mounted on the wall didn’t seem quite as friendly. An article published by consumersearch.com pinpointed the argument. A quote within the piece from the U.S. Center for Disease Control’s Didier Pittet confirmed:
“Experts say alcohol physically destroys germs,” Pittet said in the article. “Additionally, there is no scientific evidence that bacteria can develop a resistance to alcohol and create a superbug.”
Alcohol-based sanitizers have also been proven to kill certain pathogens that even prescription drugs cannot.
That being said, less is known about the few sanitizers on the market that are not alcohol- based. Products that claim to be “all natural” or “less harsh on hands” often use ingredients such as iodine and benzalkonium chloride, whose effectiveness on germs has yet to be studied in the same depth as those containing alcohol. As a rule of thumb, it is recommended to choose a sanitizer, containing at least 60 percent alcohol.
From what I have seen, campus only provides alcohol-based sanitizers to students, which means that if you are an avid “sanitizee” you can breathe easy when Purell-ing between classes. In fact, studies reported by the CDC on consumersearch.com show that hand sanitizer, when used on light to moderately soiled hands, is more effective at killing germs than washing with soap and water. It was also surprising to find that sanitizer was proven less harsh on skin over time than soap.
If you are wondering what brands contain the necessary alcohol content, the most commonly used are Purell, GermX, Lysol and Method. Popular products that do not contain alcohol are Cleanwell, Gold Bond, and StaSafe. Over the years, companies such as Bath and Body Works and Burt’s Bees have developed sanitizers that combine natural ingredients and essential oils along with alcohol, to make cleaning up a more luxurious experience for consumers.
Although hand sanitizer can be a more powerful germ killer than taking a trip to the sink, it should not replace all instances in which you would normally wash with soap and water. A balanced combination of the two methods is the most efficient way of preventing illness.
