The Truth About Hand Sanitizers

The Truth About Hand Sanitizers

It may be a habit for you to grab the bottle of purell at work or at home or whenever soap and water is not available right away but… do you actually know what is Purell made of and what are the ingredients?

It is time to know the truth about hand sanitizers like purell:

FRAGRANCE: concern for Neurotoxicity, Allergies/immunotoxicity

TOCOPHERYL ACETATE: concern for Cancer, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Ecotoxicology, Contamination concerns (HYDROQUINONE)

ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL: Concern for Cancer, Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Neurotoxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

PROPYLENE GLYCOL: Concern for Allergies/immunotoxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Enhanced skin absorption, Use restrictions

Did you also know that it contains 62% of alcohol? Children can become intoxicated easily and use of hand sanitizer like purell  is a real danger to their health.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns that alcohol can cause drunkenness as well as serious poisoning leading to seizures, coma, and even death in young children—and that children are more sensitive to the toxic effects of alcohol than adults.

You can make your own natural and organic hand sanitizer whenever soap and water are not readily available.

Organic and natural hand antiseptic recipe

1/4 cup of organic aloe vera gel

1 /4 cup of organic witch hazel extract

15 drops of organic tea tree essential oil  (tea tree eo is well known for its antifungal and antiseptic properties)

15 drops of organic lavender essential oil (lavender is antiseptic and well it smells sooo good!)

Word of wisdom: For children under 5 years old, use only 5 drops instead of 15 in 1/2 a cup and consult your aromatherapist for more details on dilution depending on the age of your baby or child.

Mix everything in a small glass bottle with a drop by drop.

Keep in your bag for those moments where soap and water are not nearby!

Keep in mind that antibacterial soap is no more effective at killing germs than is regular soap. Using antibacterial soap may even lead to the development of bacteria that are resistant to the product’s antimicrobial agents — making it harder to kill these germs in the future. (use natural castille soap – no need for the antibacterial soap with Triciclan – see my previous post here about why antibacterial soap are dangerous for your health.)

More interesting post about purell and hand sanitizers:

http://marloelaine.com/hand-sanitizers-the-hidden-dangers

http://www.thedoctorstv.com/forums/114-July-28-2-9-What-Should-I-Do-/topics/3313-DANGERS-OF-HAND-SANITIZERS-TO-KIDS

http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/blogs/paging.dr.gupta/2007/06/hand-sanitizer-on-rocks-please.html