NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Hand gels that promise to fight germs when soap and water are scarce are less effective than other sanitizing measures in hospitals, according to Swiss and German researchers.

The investigators tested 10 alcohol-based hand gels against a disinfectant of 60% propanol alcohol and found that none was as effective as propanol in killing E. coli bacteria.

Four alcohol-based hand rinses were able to kill the germs, however, according to findings published in the April 27th issue of The Lancet.

Sanitizing hand rinses and gels are used in European hospitals, although rinses are more common, the study's lead author, Dr. Didier Pittet of the University of Geneva in Switzerland, told Reuters Health.

He said his team's findings indicate that in hospitals, none of the hand gels tested should replace hand rinses that already meet the European norms 1500 requirements--the measure used in this study.

"We do not consider any of the tested alcohol-based hand gels to be suitable for hand (sanitizing) in the healthcare setting," Pittet and his colleagues conclude.

But in a statement to Reuters Health, the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association (CTFA) noted that "the information provided in The Lancet article does not directly measure control of infection" in a healthcare setting. And, it said, "the industry believes that hand sanitizers are effective when used as directed."

The Washington, DC-based CTFA is a trade association for the personal care products industry.

As for outside the healthcare field, Pittet said the study was not designed to answer whether the products are useful for the general public.

In US hospitals, he and his colleagues note, hand hygiene has mainly involved soap and water. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers have been advocated as being more accessible, less irritating to the hands and more effective than antimicrobial soaps, according to the researchers.

Most of the hand gels Pittet's team tested contained ethanol, at a concentration of up to 70%. This type of alcohol is not as effective against bacteria as propanol is, the report indicates. The researchers say that ethanol-based hand sanitizers should contain at least 80% ethanol.

SOURCE: The Lancet 2002;359:1489-1490.

Reference Source 89

For more information on how to prevent other diseases, use
PreventDisease.com's "Quick Prevention Resources".