INDEX: Retail Hand Sanitizer and Cart Wipes

INDEX:
Retail Hand Sanitizer
and Cart Wipes

Retail Hand Sanitizer and Cart Wipes – Recycle or Reuse Clean vs Dirty Pens

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This Retail Hand Sanitizer and Cart Wipes index page aggregates links
to all post and photos of retail merchandising, display, and outfitting
as well as deep Background courtesy of Wikipedia.

BACKSTORY: Hand sanitizer is a liquid generally used to decrease infectious agents on the hands.^[2] Formulations of the alcohol-based type are preferable to hand washing with soap and water in most situations in the healthcare setting.^[3] It is generally more effective at killing microorganisms and better tolerated than soap and water.^[4] Hand washing should still be carried out if contamination can be seen or following the use of the toilet.^[5] The general use of non-alcohol based versions has no recommendations.^[3] Outside the health care setting evidence to support the use of hand sanitizer over hand washing is poor.^[6]^[7]They are available as liquids, gels, and foams.^[4]

Alcohol-based versions typically contain some combination of isopropyl alcohol, ethanol (ethyl alcohol), or n-propanol.^[4] Versions that contain 60 to 95% alcohol are most effective.^[4] Care should be taken as they are flammable.^[3] Alcohol-based hand sanitizer works against a variety of microorganisms but not spores.^[4] Some versions contain compounds such as glycerol to prevent drying of the skin.^[4] Non-alcohol based versions may contain benzalkonium chloride or triclosan.^[8]^[9]

Alcohol has been used as an antiseptic at least as early as 1363 with evidence to support its use becoming available in the late 1800s.^[10] Alcohol-based hand sanitizer has been commonly used in Europe since at least the 1980s.^[11] The alcohol-based version is on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines, the most effective and safe medicines needed in a health system.^[12] The wholesale cost in the developing world is about US$1.40–3.70 per liter bottle.^[13]^[5]

Research shows that alcohol hand sanitizers do not pose any risk by eliminating beneficial microorganisms that are naturally present on the skin. The body quickly replenishes the beneficial microbes on the hands, often moving them in from just up the arms where there are fewer harmful microorganisms.^[37] However, alcohol may strip the skin of the outer layer of oil, which may have negative effects on barrier function of the skin. A study also shows that disinfecting hands with an antimicrobial detergent results in a greater barrier disruption of skin compared to alcohol solutions, suggesting an increased loss of skin lipids.^[38]^[39]

In the United States, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) controls antimicrobial handsoaps and sanitizers as over-the-counter drugs (OTC) because they are intended for topical anti-microbial use to prevent disease in humans.^[40] The FDA requires strict labeling which informs consumers on proper use of this OTC drug and dangers to avoid, including warning adults not to ingest, not to use in the eyes, to keep out of the reach of children, and to allow use by children only under adult supervision.^[41] According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, there were nearly 12,000 cases of hand sanitizer ingestion in 2006.^[42] If ingested, alcohol-based hand sanitizers can cause alcohol poisoning in small children.^[43] However, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommends using hand sanitizer with children to promote good hygiene, under supervision, and furthermore recommends parents pack hand sanitizer for their children when traveling, to avoid their contracting disease from dirty hands.^[44]

There have been reported incidents of people drinking the gel in prisons and hospitals, where alcohol consumption is not allowed, to become intoxicated leading to its withdrawal from some establishments.^[45]^[46] (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

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