Dangers of Alcohol Based Hand Sanitizers
With all of the frenzy going on about the seasonal flu and the H1NI (swine) flu, many of us are opting to use alcohol based hand sanitizers in an attempt to remain germ free. I work in a hospital clinic with a pediatric population and there are bottles of hand sanitizer everywhere you look, as well as in dispensers on the wall. I have also seen these in preschools and daycare settings. Sometimes it seems easier to squirt a little hand sanitizer on the children's hands for a quick cleaning rather than motoring them through hand washing at a sink that may be outside of the room in many of these locations. Seems like a good idea, right?
Maybe not. There is documented evidence dating back to at least 2007 in which young children have sustained injuries due to ingesting alcohol based hand sanitizer. Children are naturally curious and explore their world by mouthing objects. Hand sanitizers come in different scents and may be enticing to young children, who may lick the stuff off of their palms. The palms represent a direct point of entry onto the bloodstream, and many of you who use essential oils know that we strategically place the oils on the palms of the hands or the soles of the feet for just that purpose. Snopes has posted an article called "Booze Ooze: Ingestion of Hand Sanitizer in Children can Result in Alcohol Poisoning". To read the article, which includes parents' letters about their shocking experiences, go to: http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/sanitizer.asp.
I went looking for a safe and effective alternative to the Purell type of alcohol based hand sanitizers and found a good one. I found it at Natur-Tyme (www.Natur-Tyme.com), a local health food store. It's made by Clean Well (www.CleanWellToday.com) and I highly recommend it to anyone who is health conscious and who cares about the health of their children or the children they work with. Clean Well was founded by the father of a little boy who was born with an immune dysfuction, who was seeking natural alternatives to toxic disinfecting agents found in everyday cleaning products.
Clean Well hand sanitizers contain a patented formulation of essential plant oils (called Ingenium) proven to kill 99.99% of germs, including MRSA, E.Coli and Salmonella. It is alcohol free, safe for children, free of toxic chemicals, 100% biodegradable, and certified cruelty free (which means it has not been tested on animals). The hand sanitizers come in convenient 1 oz. pocket sized sprays, desktop bottles, and wipes. The ingredients include thyme oil, aloe vera, citric acid, orange oil, and copper pca. Clean Well even has a blog http://abetterwaytoclean.com, which offers clear information and simple tools to empower you and improve your health. You can order from the website or use their handy store locator to find a distributor near you.
I have been carrying around the pocket size hand sanitizer and I love it. It's handy, convenient, and smells great. I have been sharing it with everyone I know in the hopes that it will raise awareness and make a difference. I hope you give it a try!
Blessings,
Mary
Mary E. Riposo, PhD
www.AlternativeAutismSolutions.com
Maybe not. There is documented evidence dating back to at least 2007 in which young children have sustained injuries due to ingesting alcohol based hand sanitizer. Children are naturally curious and explore their world by mouthing objects. Hand sanitizers come in different scents and may be enticing to young children, who may lick the stuff off of their palms. The palms represent a direct point of entry onto the bloodstream, and many of you who use essential oils know that we strategically place the oils on the palms of the hands or the soles of the feet for just that purpose. Snopes has posted an article called "Booze Ooze: Ingestion of Hand Sanitizer in Children can Result in Alcohol Poisoning". To read the article, which includes parents' letters about their shocking experiences, go to: http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/sanitizer.asp.
I went looking for a safe and effective alternative to the Purell type of alcohol based hand sanitizers and found a good one. I found it at Natur-Tyme (www.Natur-Tyme.com), a local health food store. It's made by Clean Well (www.CleanWellToday.com) and I highly recommend it to anyone who is health conscious and who cares about the health of their children or the children they work with. Clean Well was founded by the father of a little boy who was born with an immune dysfuction, who was seeking natural alternatives to toxic disinfecting agents found in everyday cleaning products.
Clean Well hand sanitizers contain a patented formulation of essential plant oils (called Ingenium) proven to kill 99.99% of germs, including MRSA, E.Coli and Salmonella. It is alcohol free, safe for children, free of toxic chemicals, 100% biodegradable, and certified cruelty free (which means it has not been tested on animals). The hand sanitizers come in convenient 1 oz. pocket sized sprays, desktop bottles, and wipes. The ingredients include thyme oil, aloe vera, citric acid, orange oil, and copper pca. Clean Well even has a blog http://abetterwaytoclean.com, which offers clear information and simple tools to empower you and improve your health. You can order from the website or use their handy store locator to find a distributor near you.
I have been carrying around the pocket size hand sanitizer and I love it. It's handy, convenient, and smells great. I have been sharing it with everyone I know in the hopes that it will raise awareness and make a difference. I hope you give it a try!
Blessings,
Mary
Mary E. Riposo, PhD
www.AlternativeAutismSolutions.com
Posted by Mary Riposo at 10/21/2009 6:51 PM 
Categories: Product Reviews
Tags: autism clean well alcohol based hand sanitizers purell H1N1
Categories: Product Reviews
Tags: autism clean well alcohol based hand sanitizers purell H1N1
Mary,
Can I share this with my support group? I share your feelings on this issue!
Christina
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Hi Christina,
Yes, please feel free to share this with your group.
Blessings,
Mary
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I will get some Clean Well next time I'm at natur-Tyme- which is about once a month!
Teresa
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Thank you for this information Mary! I will pass on. Hope all is well. Can you believe we are almost at the end of this year. It has been a powerful year of learning and healing for all. Peace~love~abundance.
Beth
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Dear Dr. Riposo,
Thank You for sharing this information! I attended a natural healing massage school in New Mexico and it was mentioned re: hand sanitizer that after repetitive usage the dermal layer(protective) eventually gets strips off the hands. This dermal layer cannot regenerate itself so once it's gone then the hands are susceptible to carrying a higher rate viruses, ect. Can you please follow-up to see if this an accurate implication also? Thank You!
Blessings,
Carla L. Rael
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Hi Carla,
Thanks for the great question! I am not a medical doctor, but I am a consumer, so I am very concerned about this. I did a quick search and found that several natural product manufacturers cite that alcohol strips skin of its natural oil, dries out the skin, and can cause redness, irritation, and inflammation. In several cases it was also cited that drying out the top layers of skin can also inhibit the natural ability to shed dead skin cells, which can interfere with skin repair. And we have to remember that children have thinner and more sensitive skin than adults, so they may be more at risk for skin damage from the use of topical alcohol based products. I hope this helps.
Blessings,
Mary
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Thanks for the reply Mary!
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Nice job on this, Mary! What about the Thieves hand sanitizer? That should be safe too. Thanks for the news.
Linda
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That's true, Young Living is pricey for anyone..... thanks for the choice.
Regards,
Linda
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Thank You Mary. I always use ordinary hand soap; namely Dove for
hand washing at all times. I do believe the wrong people in our get
rich quick society are working for the "BIG PHARMS" & other Corps.
to promote products we do not need and often harmful for human
consumption. I say, "DON'T TREAD ON ME"!
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Hi Bill,
Thanks for your input. I agree that the simplest methods are usually the best! Keep up the good work.
Blessings,
Mary
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Thank you, Mary. Forwarded this on to my families with small children as well as adults who act like children!!
Blessings and love,
Susan
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Hi Susan,
Thanks for passing this on! I appreciate it.
Blessings,
Mary
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mary~
thanks for this....i particularly love the line, "I will only see the beauty
of you and your world..." What happens to us more frequently now, is thatwe see Jamie for "just Jamie", and when a professor, or someone asks a question about why he's doing this, or why he looks like that, it brings
us back to earth that OTHERS see him differently.....thanks again,
all the best,
sheree
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Hi Mary,
I use the same one and put one in my son's lunch bag.
Thanks!
Liz
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Hi Liz,
What a great idea! I'd love to hear from others that have used this product as well.
Blessings,
Mary
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I use vodka it is almost impossible to find plain old rubbing alcohol
anymore as isopropol alchol is not a good thing to use !!!!!!!!!!
xoxo
kip
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Hi Kip,
Thanks for commenting. I would be concerned about using any alcohol based
product with children, because of their sensitivity to the effects. It may
be different for adults; I don't know. Use what you feel works best for you.
Blessings,
Mary
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Mary - thanks for the info about hand sanitizers. Your message was about children, but I have often wondered about the safety of alcohol being absorded into adults' systems over time. I will check out Clean Well.
Say hi to Tony for me.
Amy
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thanks mary nice to hear from you always open to others info always!!!! have
been enjoying the time that has freed up for me with not doing the
networking anymore after 30 + years of doing it.....I do not use the vodka
but you are correct about the children but isopropol is very harmful to us
all.....and if I needed to I would use the vodka instead of that as it seems
impossible to find rubbing alcohol anymore.......I am very healthy so have
no need....
take good care of you and yours
in oneness
kip
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Hello
You have given good enough information about well hand sanitizers.This will be really very useful information for all of us.Thank you very much for giving such a good post.
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Hi Myrtille,
I'm glad you liked the post and find the information useful. Please feel free to pass the info on to your email list if you like so we can all be better informed.
Blessings,
Mary
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Dear Myrtille:
My first thought is to thank you from the bottom of my heart for this suggestion. I truly do appreciate the thought and kindness backing your post.
Just one suggestion though:
When you make a statement such as,
"....who is health conscious and who cares about the health of their children or the children they work with..," it seems to be saying that if the suggestion is not taken that the person who disagrees does not care about the health of their children or the children of others.
I am hoping that is not what you meant, and I am certain it isn't.
The suggestion is a great one. However, I believe it is remotely possible that someone who doesn't adopt this particular remedy still cares for the children for whom they are responsible.
Sometimes the colloquialisms of our language get in the way of what is in our hearts, and, I believe, that was the case here.
Again, the suggestion is very much appreciated.
Beth
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Hello Beth,
Thanks for your comments. The statement you're referring to is in reference to Clean Well, and the whole sentence reads, "I highly recommend it to anyone who is health conscious and who cares about the health of their children or the children they work with." I do think that adults who are health conscious may be interested in this product, and therefore, I recommend it to them. However, I am not saying that if they are not interested in this particular product, then they are not health conscious and/or not concerned about children's health. The logic behind that would not be sound. I support everyone in their own personal choice. In fact, that's the purpose behind my blog; to pass along information so that people can make the right choice for themselves and their families. I hope this comes across in my writing, as that is always my highest intention.
Blessings,
Mary
Mary E. Riposo, PhD
www.AlternativeAutismSolutions.com
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While I appreciate the safety concern, let's not be blinded by the notion that "natural" always means safer. There is nothing more unethical than a company making such an inference. The active ingredient in the product you reference is Thyme Oil which is not safe and at the levels used in the product not an effective sanitizer. According to many studies it took 10 mins or more for Thyme Oil to kill many common germs. Upon a visit to the web site and blog I was concerned about a company that more time bashing other products than presenting efficacy data or the true facts about the active ingredient.
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