Exercise extreme caution when hand sanitising

The latest research carried out by accredited laboratory SciCorp in KwaZulu-Natal has shown that out of 11 hand sanitisers – 9 bought from stores and 2 given out at the entrance of the mall or shop – 5 were found to be non-compliant. This means they did not contain the minimum 70 percent alcohol content, required by law. In this article, Burt Rodrigues CEO of Biodx and dermatologist, Dr Selwyn Schwartz, give their insight into the hand sanitiser landscape.

“What was particularly frightening to note was that labels on two of the products claimed to have 70 percent alcohol content, whilst in reality one had 46.3 percent ethanol and another, claiming to have 85 percent alcohol had 54.9 percent propanol,” comments Rodrigues.

In a recent report in Times Live, SciCorp Laboratories’ business development director Adrian Barnard said, “Our biggest concern scientifically is what people are adding to products when there is less alcohol.”

“This at a time when people’s very lives depend on trusting these sanitisers, not just to keep them free of COVID-19 but also not to cause irreparable harm to their skin or health. Many of these products were produced during the rush to get sanitisers to the retail market, often forgoing the rigorous and often lengthy SABS and NRCS testing procedures,” said Rodrigues.

Skin reactions to sanitisers

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) there are two major types of skin reactions that could be caused by hand sanitising. Most common would be dryness, irritation, itching and even cracking and bleeding (referred to as irritant contact dermatitis) or a stronger allergic reaction to an ingredient in a particular product which could cause respiratory distress and even anaphylaxis.

“In any one day people are using hand sanitisers innumerable times without knowing if that product is safe to use within that time frame. And that’s assuming it’s a safe product in the first place. With this in mind we are currently developing an alcohol-free, 99.999% kill-rate hand sanitiser called vitrodx ®

hand with bioactive™, which is not only safer than alcohol but effective for up to 7 hours. And, like all our products, has been developed not only to be kinder to human skin but also the planet,” says Rodrigues.

The CFC (Center for Disease Control) confirms that these reactions are often the case when methanol, a type of toxic alcohol, is used in these products. Methanol can cause blindness and/or death when absorbed through the skin or when swallowed and has recently resulted in several deaths in New Mexico. This has led to the FDA recalling products containing a significant amount of methanol which doesn’t always appear on the label but is discovered after testing of the product has been carried out.

Tips from a dermatologist

According to leading Johannesburg dermatologist Dr Selwyn Schwartz, by far the best and safest way to keep your skin safe and healthy is to rather wash with soap and water when you can. “If you have the option of using sanitiser or soap and water, then definitely choose the latter which will ensure you are moisturising as well as keeping the virus at bay. For some people who are in and out of buildings and shops where the only options are sanitisers they should try and wash with soap and water as soon as they can and then moisturise with hand cream.”

When asked if ‘all hand creams were equal’ Dr Schwartz replied, “Definitely not. You must use a thick cream, particularly before going to bed at night. The thicker the cream the more moisture it contains. Many products including aqueous cream contain lauryl sulphate which is a vanishing cream ingredient that dries skin out further instead of maintaining surface moisture.”

Preventing sanitiser-damaged skin in light of COVID-19

• Use your own sanitiser (which you have verified as effective and safe) when entering and leaving any premises • Wear gloves which you can sanitise and then washing your hands before and after wearing these • Where possible wash with soap and water rather than use sanitiser

Biodx is on a journey to reduce society’s dependence on synthetic chemicals. Harnessing the power of biotechnology, breaking boundaries, crossing new frontiers, and helping to evolve the future of disinfection. With technical support from the CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) as well as financial support from TIA (Technology Innovation Agency) and IDC (Industrial Development Corporation), we’ve spent the last 15 years researching and developing cutting edge antimicrobial and antiviral technologies. For more information visit: https://biodx.co/