US Dept of Health Inspector General Report: CDC 's "Expert Advisory Panels" are "Wrought with Financial Conflicts of Interest"

According to a report published Friday, Dec 18 by the Inspector General of the US Department of Health and Human Services, 64 percent of the advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) were found to have "serious financial conflicts of interest" as CDC either failed to recognize, or those consultants failed to disclose that they maintain financial relationships with manufacturers of vaccines and medicines (including alcohol hand sanitizer products)  that these same "consultants" have influenced the CDC to recommend to the general public.

Let's have some fun--and count the number of direct or indirect "expert consultants" to the CDC or "CDC advisory panel members" that have ties to GOJO Industries...the country's largest manufacturer of alcohol-based hand sanitizer (Purell); the product that CDC has repeatedly recommended for use in the battle against swine flu.
All despite the fact that alcohol is notorious for destroying protective skin cells, and otherwise increasing the risk of exposure to pathogens after repeated application.

Wall St. Journal Profiles Soapopular Alcohol-Free Hand Sanitizer

In a Dec 16 WSJ article profiling claims made by manufacturers of hand sanitizer and other "H1N1-related products", a popular maker of alcohol-free hand sanitizer products received attribution for providing clarity and transparency on the topic of effectiveness claims.

Taking a stand that most marketers would rather not, Soapopular spokesperson made it clear that FDA prohibits advertising specific effectiveness claims, even if the company has secured independent lab studies demonstrating effectiveness against a broad spectrum of pathogens,

The spokesperson further stated "Proper hand hygiene is all about common sense steps--and however much lab tests can deliver very compelling results, the real-world fact is that nobody can guarantee that individuals won't be exposed to virus-causing germs..We just believe that non-alcohol products make more sense when compared to alcohol."

Kudos to Soapopular for their integrity, transparency and logic!

S. Carolina School Teacher Charged With Abuse: Rubbed Alcohol-Hand Sanitizer in Student Faces and Mouths

A former Bishopville teacher is under investigation for reportedly abusing children by rubbing alcohol hand sanitizer in their faces and mouths..

We couldn't make this stuff up; click on title link to this posting for the ABC News update.

NYS Dept Of Health [Cautions] Use of Alcohol Hand Sanitizers: Wash Hands BEFORE Applying

In a recent publication re: "hand hygiene antiseptic agents in hospital settings", the New York State Department of Health provides the completely ironic recommendation for users of alcohol-based hand sanitizers and states: "wash hands with soap and water for at least 15 seconds before applying alcohol hand sanitizer."

A fifth grade student asks: "Why would I apply alcohol to my hands if I've just washed them with soap and water???" 

NYS Dept of Health answers: "Because alcohol is not a cleaning agent, and it does not penetrate dirty/soiled skin.." 

In the same document, the NYS Dept of Health cautions that "alcohol-based hand sanitizers are NON-PERSISTENT and have "NO RESIDUAL ACTIVITY"

This means that alcohol sanitizers have NO EFFECTIVENESS within seconds after  product application, as alcohol dries within seconds.

NYS Dept of Health infers in the same document that alcohol sanitizers are completely ineffective against non-enveloped viruses and lose their effectiveness with repeated use. The latter "feature" means that the more frequently alcohol is applied to the skin, they have absolutely no efficacy against germs/bacteria.

The fifth grade student that posed the above questions remains utterly confused as to why a state agency responsible for providing guidance on health-related issues would recommend using alcohol on the hands, when there are non-alcohol, rinse-free products that do not require washing before applying, have extended persistency (which means they continue to be effective long after applying), and these non-alcohol products deliver IMPROVED effectiveness over repeated applications.

NYS Dept of Health says: "The document in question is intended for health care workers within a hospital setting.." 

We know that GOJO Industries, the manufacturer of Purell alcohol hand sanitizer visits this blog daily--so we invite them to dispute the position taken by the NYS Dept of Health. And we invite them to explain why their product makes any sense if repeated use reduces the product effectiveness.

In the interim, we'll continue to join hands with among others, experts at the U.S. Navy, who have determined that applying alcohol to the hands is completely counter-intuitive, and that alternative, non-alcohol hand antiseptic products are safer to the skin, and much more pragmatic from a variety of perspectives.

CDC: About 1 in 6 Americans have had swine flu

Courtesy of the LA Times, DEC 10 2009 3:05 PM EST

At least 50 million Americans had contracted pandemic H1N1 influenza through Nov. 14, according to the newest estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released today -- meaning that about 15% of the entire country has been infected, about one in every six people.

Eye-opening, hair-raising and disconcerting. BUT--Swine Flu, however scary, is, according to many, nothing more than a very aggressive strain of influenza The experts would suggest that solid preventive measures include focused hand hygiene--washing with appropriate soap and water--and when that's not convenient--using an appropriate hand sanitizer.

De-bunking the Norovirus claims made by makers of alcohol hand sanitizer makers

More than a few makers of alcohol-based hand sanitizers are claiming that their products are effective against Norovirus (a/k/a Norwalk Virus).

Per a recent academic study conducted by a team experts from the Center for Global Safe Water, Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, and Department of Food Science, North Carolina State University:

"..Despite the promise of alcohol-based sanitizers for the control of pathogen transmission, they are relatively ineffective against the HuNoV, reinforcing the need to develop and evaluate new products against this important group of viruses.."

H.E.B. Stores Introduces Alcohol-Free Hand Sanitizer to Texans

One of the reason that H-E-B Stores is so popular is because of their reputation for innovation and community service. Now they're even more popular thanks to introducing the alcohol-free hand sanitizer brand "Soapopular"

H-E-B, with sales of more than $15 billion, operates more than 300 stores in Texas and Mexico. Based in San Antonio, H-E-B employs more than 70,000 Partners and serves millions of customers in more than 150 communities.

Read the press release by clicking here

Putting Booze into Kids Hands: Alcohol Hand Sanitizer

Story below is courtesy of the AlaskaDispatch reporter Jill Burke

Purell markets itself as ‘Mother Nature's disinfectant'. But while they kill germs, alcohol-based hand sanitizers are apparently no match for some aspects of human nature. Curiosity and compulsion have led some people, including children, to sniff or drink the cleansing goo for a cheap high.

"The best way to drink hand sanitizer is straight, like whiskey, and down it ‘like a shot,'" a 15-year-old student in Toronto recently told Maclean's magazine. "Undiluted, the alcohol-based liquid tastes a little like ‘vodka and bug spray,'" Maclean's reported.

At 62 percent ethyl alcohol, Purell is more than 120 proof -- the equivalent of a strong rum or whiskey. To effectively kill germs, alcohol content must be at least 60 percent; stronger hand sanitizers may contain as much as 85 percent.

Yet for addicts desperate for an alcohol fix, hand sanitizer is accessible, cheap, and gets the job done. And its abuse is something that crosses state and national boundaries.

In the village of Selawik, located in northwest Alaska, several people are accused of stealing several large bottles of the gel last month from a convenience store's back room and getting drunk off of it. In Canada, shipments to fight flu were delayed to some First Nations communities where alcohol abuse is prevalent over fears people would drink it. Last month in Britain, prison inmates drank enough of the stuff to get drunk and start a brawl, leading to a ban on hand gel.

Wells says sniffing and drinking hand sanitizers is also a risk for children, teens and young adults who may find it easier to access than liquor, or who may be experimenting with intoxicants in general. When a teacher in Canada noticed her 8- and 9-year old students "acting strange and giggling" during a recent walk, her detective work got them to confess they had swallowed hand sanitizer at school just before the walk, according to Macleans.
Far more potent than beer, wine and many liquors, Wells sees a high potential for abuse in communities that ban alcohol, and suspects hand sanitizers may have "a tremendous potential for homebrew."

"The bottom line," she said, "is that anything that contains ethanol or isopropyl alcohol can have the potential for being abused and we just need to be aware."

http://www.soapyusa.com

Alcohol Hand Sanitizers: Would you give a bottle of Vodka to your kid?

Alcohol Hand Sanitizer Poisoning Doubles on Staten Island, NY

Courtesy of StatenIslandLive.com

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- It's become a common tool in a parent's arsenal against swine flu and the common cold -- a bottle of alcohol hand sanitizer.

   But as an increasing number of parents citywide have learned, it's got an alcohol content higher than most hard liquors.

   Hand sanitizers typically contain 62 percent ethyl alcohol -- the same type of alcohol in beverages, but processed and concentrated differently.

   The city's poison-control centers have seen 25 hand sanitizer ingestion cases over the past month -- more than double the 10 to 12 per month they typically see, according to officials with the city Health Department.

   "Exposure is among children, and generally from hand to mouth," Health Department officials said in an e-mailed statement.