hand sanitizer scares me -- am I the only one?

[indigosky]

Every hand sanitizer I see has warnings on the bottle that say things like, "For external use only. If ingested, call poison control."

Yet people use hand sanitizer instead of washing their hands, and then consider it "safe" to do things like eat, touch their mouths, etc. Relatives of mine used to put hand sanitizer on their hands and then offer my newborn daughter their finger to suck on, claiming their hands were now clean and germ-free! I actually had to make a rule, No Hand Sanitizer in the Baby's Mouth.

I realize probably the trace amounts left on one's hands after you rub it in and it dries are technically considered safe if it gets on food or in one's mouth -- but I'd much rather use soap and water, even though washing one's hands takes longer.

Is there any research on the safety of consuming trace amounts of rub-and-leave-without-rinsing hand sanitizer? Am I crazy for asking these questions?

[JTA Mom]

Depends on the type of hand sanitizer.

If it's the alcohol based ones, you don't want to ingest non-food grade alcohol. However, most of the alcohol evaporates once dry. I still wouldn't want my baby sucking on it though--it tastes nasty.

If it's the antibacterial big guns, tetra something, I wouldn't want it near my baby's mouth. That stuff still works once dry and the thought of my baby ingesting that--ick.

Ami

[Ola_]

And honestly, all the darn perfumes in those things are so awful! I commute on the train and each time someone uses it the whole car fills with that smell - yuck!

[mommaof3boz]

as a nurse I use it at work so much I don't even think about it anymore. We use it as we walk into a patients room and as we walk out. we have a special one that we use prior to scrubbing in for procedures. don't even wanna know whats in it. its all hospital mandated so what can you do.

[mom0810]

I can tell you that my oldest son (he's 4 now) once ate some Purell, and I panicked because I had heard things on the news about the alcohol in them, babies getting drunk and/or requiring medical attention from hand sanitizers.

I called poison control immediately, of course, and was assured that he would be fine... which he was/is. A little tiny bit of it is fine. If they drank a whole bottle, that would be different. It's fine to use before eating. Better than not, I would say!

[moxygirl]

I don't think the amount on someone's hand would hurt your baby as long as they're not being offered a sanitized finger to suck on continuously. That being said, I would avoid it as well. As a matter of fact I avoid hand sanitizers in general. Immune system and/or regular soap and water work better. I think overuse of hand sanitizers and anti-bacterial soap is not good for the immune system and can contribute to antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria.

[Abarat]

Originally Posted by moxygirl

I don't think the amount on someone's hand would hurt your baby as long as they're not being offered a sanitized finger to suck on continuously. That being said, I would avoid it as well. As a matter of fact I avoid hand sanitizers in general. Immune system and/or regular soap and water work better. I think overuse of hand sanitizers and anti-bacterial soap is not good for the immune system and can contribute to antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria.

I agree with this.

I do believe it has a solid place in the healthcare industry, as mommaof3boz has to endure. I think it's very useful and practical in that setting and I'm glad it's in use there.

I don't think every kid in school needs to have this on their school supply list and have it on every desk. I don't have any in the house and even for really tough sanitizing jobs at home (we deal with goats and chickens daily) I just use soap and vinegar/peroxide.

[Drummer's Wife]

Originally Posted by Ola_

And honestly, all the darn perfumes in those things are so awful! I commute on the train and each time someone uses it the whole car fills with that smell - yuck!

The smell is what bothers me. I can't stand it, and would never put the stuff on my own hands. The kids come home from school smelling like it b/c the teacher bought them each their own individual bottles to sit on their desks - and she reminds the whole class to use the periodically.

eta: I am highly sensitive to chemicals/synthetic fragrances - to the point it makes me ill - so that's why it's my biggest issue.

[Ruthla]

If a teacher gave my kid artifically colored and/or fragranced "hand sanitizer" and told my child to use it, I would complain to the teacher. I'm extremely chemically sensitive, and so are my children- though to a milder degree. You really WANT my child to get hyperactive and wiggly in the middle of class because you made her put red coloring on her hands?

If I really felt the sanitizer was useful, I'd purchase a non scented, non colored version for my kids to use. But I don't want them using it at all- they all have immune systems, and they all know how to wash their hands.

ITA that they make sense in a healthcare setting, where you have open surgical wounds, people with damaged/overwhelmed immune systems, and people with particularly "nasty" germs. But in a classroom?

[mommaof3boz]

The one we primarily use is alcohol based. The other is almost like a lotion base but it is stronger, used before sterile procedures. I will be honest in the fact that prior to these, when it was water and antibacterial soap, our hands were miserably dry and cracked. Now they have caught onto the fact the cracks are germ breeding grounds. All of the foam ones contain a moiturizing property so we like them. They also don't smell.

Oh while we are talking about hospitals and scents...why would visitors think its a good idea to come see patients and drench themselves in perfume???? Sometimes you can smell it all down the hall to the patients room. There are people there struggling to breathe and they bathe in Chanel 5 to come visit.

[_betsy_]

I avoid it like the plague, and often told well-meaning relatives that a few germs were less scary to me than the alcohol-based hand sanitizers.

I refuse to use it as it makes my eczema flare up horribly and makes my already-extremely dry skin crack in very painful places like fingertips and knuckles.

My skin just can't handle it.

[yaM yaM]

Originally Posted by _betsy_

I avoid it like the plague, and often told well-meaning relatives that a few germs were less scary to me than the alcohol-based hand sanitizers.

Exactly. Me too. I believe that isopropyl alcohol is a toxic substance.

[mamadelbosque]

I don't use it much, but I definetly DO have a bottle in my car for those times when I do diaper changes and don't have access to soap/water, and I also have a bottle next to the diaper changing spot in the house for those times when we run out of water and can't wash at home. Some folks do seem to over use it, but as long as its the alcohol based stuff I don't think its really going to contribute to antibacterial resistance - for that it'd need to actually have antibacterial stuff in it - not just alcohol

[honeybee80]

I have eczema on my hands also, and regular hand sanitizer makes them BURN like no other, so I found this alternative (although I really don't use it very often for some of the reasons listed above!): http://www.cleanwelltoday.com/ ....it's a good option to use in place of the mainstream hand sanitizers out there.

[tanyam926]

I carry an all natural one from Whole Foods that comes in spray form for those rare situations when it is necessary, but I prefer to wash my hands or just deal w/germs.

I bought my son the natural one to take to school too, but I'm not sure if his teacher lets him use it.

[sabrinat]

Originally Posted by mommaof3boz

as a nurse I use it at work so much I don't even think about it anymore. We use it as we walk into a patients room and as we walk out. we have a special one that we use prior to scrubbing in for procedures. don't even wanna know whats in it. its all hospital mandated so what can you do.

Same here. I'd rather use the hand sanitizer than think about what I could be transmitting between patients. I mean soap and water is optimal, but sometimes time is a factor.

[Organicavocado]

Originally Posted by tanyam926

I carry an all natural one from Whole Foods that comes in spray form for those rare situations when it is necessary, but I prefer to wash my hands or just deal w/germs.

Ditto. I will use it if handwashing isn't available and I'm in a highly public place or an animal-y place, but as soon as I can I wash my hands with soap and water.

[Keeta]

See, I'm pregnant, not planning on getting the H1N1 (or regular) flu vaccines, so it's saving my sanity this flu season! I'd much rather risk alcohol on my skin than pumping me and my unborn baby full of chemicals via vaccine, kwim? Also, my 3 year old is a car snacker, and I don't honestly know what I would do if we didn't have hand sanitizer. Even if we washed our hands before leaving the store/public place, do you know how many germy surfaces he would find to touch between the bathroom and the car?! If the choice is between not leaving my house this flu season, getting the vaccine or using hand sanitizer - I'm using hand sanitizer (and handwashing when it's feasible).

[artemis33]

I'm with Keeta - we use it for the car. I of course prefer good old hand washing with regular soap (not antibacterial), but when we are out running errands this isn't really possible. My DD is also a car snacker so we do use the sanitizer when we've been in the grocery store or the thrift store, etc. I noticed last winter that within a couple of days of our trips to the thrift store and a certain discount grocery nearby (we'd go to both about once or twice a month) my DD would get a cold! So that was when I started carrying the sanitizer and also non antibacterial wet wipes in the car.

RE OP's young baby - I used to freak when anyone besides DH or myself would put their fingers in my DD's mouth, sanitizer or not! I hear you on that issue - I wouldn't like it, but I do think the plain alcohol sanitizers have a place and I am more bothered by the constant use of antibacterial soaps (and other products) than those.

The school issue sounds really excessive though. Yikes.