ScienceDaily (Feb. 21, 2000) — WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Instant hand sanitizers may not be everything consumers expect, according to a Purdue university professor who teaches sanitation practices for food service workers.

"Waterless, antibacterial hand sanitizers are marketed as a way to 'wash your hands' when soap and water aren't available, and they are especially popular among parents of small children," says Barbara Almanza, associate professor of restaurant, hotel, institutional and tourism management. "But research shows that they do not significantly reduce the overall amount of bacteria on the hands, and in some cases they may even increase it."

Almanza says a hand sanitizer can't take the place of old-fashioned soap and water at home or anywhere else.

"In terms of the regulations regarding food services, the Food and Drug Administration says hand sanitizers may be used as a supplement but not as a substitute for hand washing," Almanza explains. "By the same token, people should not use hand sanitizers in place of a good lathering with soap and water if it's available."

Almanza says the typical hand sanitizer, which is usually alcohol-based, strips the skin of the outer layer of oil, which normally prevents resident bacteria from coming to the surface.

"Generally, this resident flora is not the type that will make us sick," Almanza says, "but the assumption is that when you have an increase in overall bacteria, the chances are better that a disease-causing strain will be present."

Yet the manufacturers of these products can continue to claim that the sanitizers are up to 99.9 percent effective in killing germs because they were tested on inanimate surfaces rather than human hands.

"The physiological complexity of human skin makes it very difficult to use for testing of this nature," Almanza says. "The most clear and consistent results were going to come from using surfaces for which the variables can be controlled, and that's just not real life. Real life is not neat and tidy."

Related Stories

New Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizer May Minimize Viral Transmission, Including Norovirus (Aug. 26, 2008) — A newly developed ethanol-based hand sanitizer may significantly impact public health by minimizing the transmission of multiple viruses, including norovirus, from food handlers and care ...  > read more

Fresh-cut Produce Washing Practices Can Minimize Food-borne Illness Risks (Dec. 15, 2007) — Researchers recently examined the safety and quality of "wash techniques" used in the production of packaged produce. The study simulated washing techniques to learn more about how industry practices ...  > read more

Dr. Mom Was Right -- And Wrong -- About Washing Fruits And Vegetables (Apr. 16, 2008) — Washing fresh fruits and vegetables before eating may reduce the risk of food poisoning and those awful episodes of vomiting and diarrhea. But washing alone -- even with chlorine disinfectants -- may ...  > read more

Plain Soap As Effective As Antibacterial But Without The Risk (Aug. 16, 2007) — Antibacterial soaps show no health benefits over plain soaps and, in fact, may render some common antibiotics less effective, says a University of Michigan public health ...  > read more

Search ScienceDaily

Fighting Cold and Flu Germs