THE FACTS COMPARING ALCOHOL BASED SANITIZERS TO MEDITIZER WATER-BASED SANITIZER
The emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the causative agent of COVID-19, prompted the introduction of a number of community public health measures to try and control spread of the virus. One of these was the widespread use of hand sanitizers; this has now become a routine operation for many individuals and continues to be an entry requirement for a wide variety of public places such as hospitals, GP surgeries and even shops and theaters.
FACT ONE – ENOUGH TIME TO KILL IS NOT ACHIEVED BY ALCOHOL BASED SANITIZERS. IT IS BY MEDITIZER
One key finding was that, in keeping with other well-characterised Coronaviruses, SARS-CoV-2 was not readily inactivated by alcohol (ethanol and propan-2-ol) based disinfectants unless extended contact times of up to 10 minutes were employed1.
The caveat here is that contact times of 1 minute resulted in approximately a 3-log reduction in viable Corona viruses when concentrations of ethanol between 62% – 71% were used, but all of these tests were performed according to statutory surface disinfection protocols where metal or other non-porous materials are coated in virus particles and then immersed in the disinfectant solution for the required time and the viable virus particle number remaining is determined. Although this is a standard test method, it does not accurately represent the way in which hand sanitizers are used.
FACT TWO – ALCOHOL BASED SANITIZERS HAVE MANY NEGITIVE SIDE EFFECTS
This same study also suggested that the widespread and frequent use of alcohol- based sanitizers could result in oral, dermal and/or pulmonary absorption and subsequent systemic toxicity7 from the alcohol . Moreover, alcohol-based hand sanitizers can cause a number of unwanted side-effects such as skin dehydration, contact dermatitis and skin cracking.
We must not forget that our skin is the largest human organ and given its direct contact with the environment, is frequently exposed to environmental microorganisms in addition to its’ own natural bacterial micro-flora10. Microorganisms live both on the skin surface and within the living epidermal layer; recent evidence also now indicates that this micro-flora also comprises a small number of viral species11, so it is important to understand that irrespective of the amount and degree of handwashing and use of hand sanitizers, most of these commensal species will not be removed. The entire reason for hand hygiene is the removal of pathogenic microorganisms capable of causing disease and being transmitted (particularly in a healthcare setting) to more vulnerable persons.
FACT THREE – MEDITIZER WATER-BASED SANITIZER KILLS IN REAL-LIFE NEEDED SECONDS AND HAS BEEN PROVEN TO KILL THE HARDEST AND MOST DEADLY BACTERIA (AND VIRUSES). ALCOHOL-BASED SANITIZERS DON’T.
It has long been recognised12 that the hands of healthcare workers may provide a reservoir for the circulation and transmission of drug-resistant bacteria and other pathogenic micro-organisms in the hospital environment. Conventional hand washing with soap and water is an effective means of reducing the microbial burden of pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus which has been found to colonize between 10% and 78% of healthcare workers hands with up to 1 x 107 bacteria present. In situations where access to soap and water is not available, bodies such as the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have recommended the use of hand sanitizers containing either 80% ethanol or 75% propan-2-ol. Evaluation of the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended formulations alongside a large number of commercially available alcohol-based hand sanitizers indicated that whilst the WHO formulations resulted in complete bacterial inactivation within 1 minute of exposure (only bacterial strains were tested, not viruses) most of the commercially-available, over the counter preparations required at least 5 minutes exposure, which as we have seen earlier does not occur with alcohol-based products due to the rapid evaporation of the alcohol13. Interestingly this same study also indicated that the presence of thickening agents such as glycerol further impacted the efficacy of the bacterial kill and the authors hypothesized that this was due to the slower release of the active ingredient.
FACT FOUR – ALCOHOL-BASED SANITIZERS DECLINE IN THEIR EFFEVTIVNESS OVER TIME WHILE MEDITIZER WATER-BASED SANITIZER MAINTAINS A CONSISTANT 99.99% KILL RATE.
A study15 evaluated immediate and persistent antimicrobial effectiveness comparing alcohol-containing sanitizers to the novel surfactant Benzalkonium Chloride (BZK) used in Meditizer™ sanitizer. It was proven that all three products were equally effective after a single application, but after repeated use the alcohol-based sanitizer continued to decline in its effectiveness while the BZK product maintained the highest level of efficacy.
FACT FIVE – ALCOHOL-BASED SANITIZERS ARE FLAMMABLE AND EXPENSIVE TO SHIP AND STORE – MEDITZER WATER-BASED SANITIZER IS NIETHER.
The Safety Data Sheet for Ecolab’s “Best Gel Hand Sanitizer” clearly states not only that the hand sanitizer is flammable but also states this: “Skin: In case of contact, immediately wash with plenty of soap and water for at least 15 minutes. Seek medical attention if irritation or redness occurs.”
FACT SIX – MEDITIZER WATER-BASED SANITIZER HAS EXTENSIVE PROOF OF KILLING COVID-19 AT A RATE OF 99.99% AND THAT IT DOES SO FOR FOUR HOURS AT 99.99%. ALCOHOL-BASED SANITIZERS HAS NIETHER.
In February of 2021, the Arizona State University‘s Biodesign institute in conjunction with the Southwest College Of Naturopathic Medicine & Health Sciences conducted an assay to characterize the long term antimicrobial properties of our sanitizing products. The results of this study, conducted in a certified Biosafety Level 3 facility, support that the 2 in 1 Invisible Glove products are all able to kill the SARS-CoV-2 virus even after drying on a surface for 1 hour or 4 hours.
THE PROBLEM IS REAL
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, each year, 135,000 deaths in Europe and 99,000 deaths in the United States had been reported from health care-associated infections. In the U.S., more than three-quarters of a million people die of sepsis each year. These numbers are likely under-reported, and they do not account for the number of deaths from infections outside of healthcare institutions. A leading cause of these deaths is the lack of hand hygiene.