Show Me the Science - Why Wash Your Hands? Keeping hands clean is one of the most important steps we can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. Many diseases and conditions are spread by not washing hands with soap and clean, running water. How germs get onto hands and make people sick Feces (poop) from people or animals is an important source of germs like Salmonella, E. coli O157, and norovirus that cause diarrhea, and it can spread some respiratory infections like adenovirus and hand-foot-mouth disease. These kinds of germs can get onto hands after people use the toilet or change a diaper, but also in less obvious ways, like after handling raw meats that have invisible amounts of animal poop on them. A single...
Alcohol has been used as a disinfectant for centuries. The most common sterilizing products used today – rubbing alcohol and alcohol-based hand sanitizers – are both made from solutions of alcohol, most often isopropyl or ethyl alcohol. In Ancient Egypt, circa 3000 B.C,, palm wine was used both to clean wounds and embalm bodies. Alcohol is incredibly effective in the fight against single-celled microorganisms like bacteria, but commercials and other advertisements for household disinfectants don’t often explain the fascinating process of how alcohol kills bacteria. Alcohol kills bacteria through a process known as denaturation. Alcohol molecules are amphiphile chemical compounds, which means that they have both water and fat-loving properties. Because bacterial cell membranes have a fat-based side as well as a...
If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Why? Many studies have found that sanitizers with an alcohol concentration between 60–95% are more effective at killing germs than those with a lower alcohol concentration or non-alcohol-based hand sanitizers 16,20. Hand sanitizers without 60-95% alcohol 1) may not work equally well for many types of germs; and 2) merely reduce the growth of germs rather than kill them outright. When using hand sanitizer, apply the product to the palm of one hand (read the label to learn the correct amount) and rub the product all over the surfaces of your hands until your hands are dry. Why? The steps for hand sanitizer use are...
