Author: Bao Xiulan expert team
This article is reproduced from "Pediatrician Bao Xiulan" (xiehebaoxiulan)
During the pandemic, frequent handwashing is the easiest and most economical way to prevent infection. Things like hand sanitizer are now regarded by many parents as the "life-saving straw" to prevent bacterial viruses, and when they take the baby out to play, they stuff it into the bag, gently squeeze it after the baby's small hand touches the dirty thing, and the baby's hands are rubbed, which is convenient and worry-free.
However, this travel-essential artifact, which seems safe, is actually full of hidden dangers. If you are not careful, you may be harmful to your child.
Data retrieved by the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) from the Database of the American Center for Toxic Control System (NPDS) shows that more than 100,000+ children have been poisoned because of it, and 90% of them are children under the age of 5, most of whom have accidentally ingested alcohol hand sanitizer.
01
Safety hazards of alcohol-based hand sanitizers
The most common bactericidal disinfectant component of hand sanitizers is alcohol, and for the new crown virus, 75% of alcohol can effectively inactivate the virus.
Image source: Diagnosis and Treatment Plan for Pneumonia Infected by Novel Coronavirus (Trial Version 6)
According to the recommendations of the National Centers for Disease Management CDC, hand sanitizers containing at least 60% alcohol can effectively kill bacteria, and 70% to 80% disinfection is better.
Such a high alcohol content, for curious children, once eaten by mistake, it is terrible! Even a small sip can cause your child to experience dizziness, headaches, vomiting, slurred language, drowsiness, and a risk of alcoholism.
Moreover, this alcohol concentration of hand sanitizer is more pungent, some merchants in order to make it smell good, will add flavor, made into children's favorite strawberry flavor, lemon flavor, which greatly improves the probability of children accidentally eating, may not be when to sneak a bite.
In addition, alcohol-based hand sanitizers also have a major safety hazard - flammable and explosive.
Alcohol content of more than 35% may be ignited, as mentioned earlier, in order to achieve bacteriostatic effect of alcohol hand sanitizer, at least need to contain at least 60% alcohol, flammability can be imagined.
Online search for hand sanitizer flammable experiments:
Squeeze out the hand sanitizer the size of a 1 yuan coin, and the lighter is easily lit and burns for 3 minutes.
A thin layer of hand sanitizer was applied to the wall of the bowl, and the lighter was a little, and as a result, all the places where the hand sanitizer was coated burned.
The TV news column once did a simulation experiment on the skin of the pork: the lighter was a little, and in an instant, a blue flame appeared, and the pig hair was burned!
This summer, a car owner put hand sanitizer in the car, and as a result, the high temperature + high alcohol content, there was a self-explosion.
Fortunately, the police on duty found it in time, otherwise it would easily lead to a fire.
For curious children, it's hard to guarantee intentional avoidance of open flames after just running out of hand sanitizer.
Moreover, alcohol volatilizes rapidly while taking away heat and moisture from the surface of the skin. If you rely too much on hand sanitizer, you may have damaged the skin barrier on your child's hands, and your small hands will become very dry, even cracked, itchy, and eczema will appear.
So, since alcohol is not safe, can alcohol-free ones be used?
02
Is alcohol-free hand sanitizer safe?
In the market, the main ingredient of most children's hand sanitizers is alcohol. The mainstream bacteriostatic ingredient of non-alcoholic hand sanitizers is benzalkonium chloride, although its bactericidal effect is not as good as alcohol, but the irritating effect on the skin is small and relatively mild. Suitable for infants under 3 years of age, people with trauma to the hands and people who are allergic to alcohol.
However, it should be noted that benzalkonium chloride with a concentration higher than 0.1% has a certain irritation and corrosion of the skin and mucous membranes.
In addition, some non-alcoholic hand sanitizers add unsafe bacteriostatic ingredients, such as triclosan, which is an ingredient banned by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in hand and body washing products.
Studies have found that children who have been in contact with triclosan for a long time have a greatly increased chance of allergies.
Therefore, non-alcoholic hand sanitizer can choose benzalkonium chloride ingredient, and the concentration of benzalkonium chloride is not higher than 0.1%.
03
Is the antimicrobial product worth buying and using?
In fact, it is not a special period, there is no need to talk about fungal discoloration. With the exception of a few high-risk areas, the epidemic situation in most parts of the country is stable, and hygiene work needs to be done, but there is no need to overuse antibacterial products. Just cleaning your hands with ordinary soap and hand sanitizer is enough to remove harmful bacteria as needed on a daily basis.
The human body itself has many bacteria, but these germs can only cause disease if they are over-reproducing. At the same time, the sterilization of antibacterial products will also kill the normal flora that plays a protective role on human skin, and some overuse will lead to the production of more resistant bacteria.
If the antibacterial product you buy at home has the following 19 ingredients, throw it away!
Although hand sanitizer can be directly sterilized and disinfected, it cannot be decontaminated and is ineffective against some types of microorganisms. In the absence of running water, after the child goes to the toilet, after touching the pet, after sneezing, the hand sanitizer can be emergency, but it cannot be relied on. When using hand sanitizer, scrub your hands through the areas until they are completely dry before you can grab something to eat with your hands.
In addition, it should be noted that when using alcohol-based hand sanitizer for children, the amount of money should not exceed the size of 1 yuan coin (about 24mm in diameter); parents need to watch over the child not to eat hands to avoid alcohol poisoning; regardless of whether the hand sanitizer contains alcohol, be wary of children taking it by mistake and put it in a place where the child cannot reach.
In the case of running water, it is recommended to use the traditional way of washing hands (water and soap/hand sanitizer), wash your hands for at least 20 seconds, sing the "Happy Birthday Song" twice, and scrub all parts with your hands.
Finally, to summarize:
1. Infants and young children under 3 years of age, try not to use alcohol-based hand sanitizer, and older children can use it occasionally. When using, parents should be on the side to protect themselves from eating their fingers and stay away from open flames.
2. Don't rely too much on hand sanitizer, and recommend running water + soap hand washing/hand sanitizer.
3. Regardless of whether the hand sanitizer contains alcohol, be wary of taking it by mistake and keep it out of your child's reach.
4. There is a scented, brightly colored, beautifully packaged hand sanitizer, children are particularly susceptible to attraction, do not buy, to prevent children from swallowing.
*This article is reproduced from "Pediatrician Bao Xiulan" (xiehebaoxiulan)