FALL 2020 • VOL 14 ISSUE 1
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Blame it on the Alcohol: How Hand Sanitizer Overuse May Create a Superbug Writer: Rida Qureshi • Editor: Haleigh Pine How many times today have you used hand sanitizer?
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n the midst of a pandemic — where reminders to wear a mask are more common than welcome mats, and Purell dispensers are located at every door—using antimicrobials has become second nature. The average WashU student comes into contact with hand sanitizer dozens of times a day, be it before entering a classroom, grabbing a meal at BD, walking by a Student Health Ambassador or using their own pocket sanitizer. No one thinks to count how many times they’ve washed their hands —at least, not while the health of their university depends on it. In truth, as every day brings conflicting political messages on how to handle the pandemic and unanticipated scientific findings on the virus itself, students feel helpless, and sanitizer stands as one of the few aspects of this pandemic they can control. But even though it keeps us safe in the present moment, is excessive sanitizer usage truly in our future’s best interest? Or are we setting ourselves up for an even worse public health crisis in the long term?
Popularized in the early 1990s for their ease of use, alcohol-based hand sanitizer became a staple in most healthcare settings and played a significant role in decreasing staph infections.
Illustrator: Angela Chen
