Fall 2008 Newsletter
Fighting Germs: Soaps vs. Sanitizers
With the arrival of Fall and kids back in school, we know what comes next: cold and flu season! The National Education Association (NEA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Soap and Detergent Association (SDA) are speaking out on the importance of “hand washing” to prevent the spreading of germs in schools and hospitals around the nation. There will even be a “National Clean Hands Week” on September 21-28, 2008 to help educate our children and our healthcare facilities to keep their hands clean and learn proper hand washing techniques.
Types of Germs
Hand washing is one of the most important steps to avoid spreading germs. Germs are micro-organisms such as bacteria and viruses that may lead to harmful diseases. They live on the skin, mouth, intestines, and breathing passages. They can enter the body through openings such as the nose and mouth and also through breaks in the skin. If they do enter the body, they can destroy healthy cells and cause infections. Three major types of germs are bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
Bacteria are a tiny group of unicellular microorganisms. They can be classified into two groups – Gram negative and Gram positive organisms. An example of a Gram negative organism is Escherichia coli (E. Coli). This type of bacteria is shaped like tiny pink rods and is found in raw meat or in the intestines of healthy humans and animals. Staphylocuccus (Staph) is an example of gram positive organism. These are purple and clustered like grapes. There are many types of staphylococcus such as Staph Aureus and Staph Epidermidis. Staph Aureus colonizes mainly in the nasal passages, and Epidermidis is an occupant of the skin. They can cause many infections such as food poisoning and toxic shock syndrome.
Viruses can’t live outside of the living cell. They need to be in or on a plant, animal or even a human being in order to grow and reproduce. Viruses are considered a “host” and can survive and spread inside our bodies, making us sick. Some well-known viral sicknesses are the common cold and smallpox.
Fungi are multi-celled, like plant-like organisms. They feed on plants, food and animals and grow in damp, warm places. Athlete’s foot is an example of a harmful fungal infection.
Hand Cleansers
Hand washing removes or destroys (disinfects) germs to avoid transmitting them to another person. The application of water alone is ineffective for cleaning the skin because water is unable to remove fats, oils and proteins which are components of organic soil. Therefore, removal of micro-organisms from the skin requires the addition of soap or detergents and/or anti-microbial ingredients. There are two types of products that can be used to wash your hands, antibacterial soap and hand sanitizers.
Antibacterial Soap
The base of a liquid antibacterial soap contains surfactants (liquid soap concentrate), water, preservative, and an antimicrobial additive such as Tricolsan. Triclosan is a very effective antibacterial agent, which kills all bacteria with the exception of Pseudomonas. It has been proven effective at a level of 0.20%. Triclosan is insoluble in water so when the hands are washed, the surfactant takes away the dirt and grime and the Triclosan is left behind on the hands to fight off bacteria.
Hand Sanitizers
Hand sanitizers contain ethanol (ethyl alcohol) in a gel base and do not require water. Typically there is an emollient such as isopropyl myristate present to impart a pleasant skin feel after the ethanol dries. Hand Sanitizers work by penetrating the sebum on the hands, immediately killing any microbes present. This is a quick kill as opposed to the longer term effectiveness of the Triclosan works in antibacterial soap. Additionally, the minimum ethanol level in hand sanitizer formulations must be greater than 60% by volume in order to meet the 99.9% kill claims that most waterless hand sanitizers make. Some products on the market contain less than 60% ethanol and should be avoided.
Effective Hand Washing
Studies are mixed regarding the effectiveness of antibacterial vs. regular soaps; however, everyone agrees that proper hand washing is one of the most important steps we can take to get through the cold and flu season. The Center for Disease Control advises using warm water, working the soap into a lather and rubbing for at lease 20 seconds. After rinsing well, dry with a paper towel and use the towel to shut off the faucet. When water is not available, the CDC recommends the use of hand sanitizers as the second choice of hand cleaning. Again, a good rubbing on the entire hand and all finger surfaces is essential!