Alcoholic content in hand sanitizers

[Canada1]

Hi,

I'm having a tough time finding information on a topic we discussed earlier this evening. I was in a lecture meeting and the speaker mentioned that there was a possibility that the alcohol content in Purell could be strong enough to enter the bloodstream via the skin if the product was used multiple times daily. My concern is that this could subtlety trigger the allergy over time with moderate use. Does anyone know of this occurring?

Thanks all

*edit* - Thanks for the reply Dax, interesting. Brock, appreciate you moving the thread, sorry I was browsing the newcomer thread and posted when it came to mind.

[Dax]

Take it with a grain of salt...

[quote]Alcohol. Hand sanitizers contain about 65 percent ethyl alcohol — pure alcohol — and some of it is absorbed into the skin. Research has found alcohol in the blood stream of people who used hand sanitizers, and children have been known to lick enough from their hands to become drunk. Alcohol from the sanitizers can also be absorbed through inhaling its vapors. Many hand sanitizers also contain isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) which is a petrochemical that's a known neurotoxin. It is also absorbed through the skin and is toxic even in small doses. Together, the two types of alcohol can comprise up to 95 percent of a hand sanitizer's volume. Alcohol-free sanitizers aren't a safe substitute, either, because they also contain toxic ingredients such as benzalkonium chloride, which has been linked to immune dysfunction and hypersensitivity, which can cause asthma and chronic dermatitis.

In addition, alcohol can break down the protective outer layers of skin and allow chemicals, like those found in the hand sanitizer itself, such as parabens, to penetrate the skin easier, as well as chemicals such as BPA found on cash register receipts. In a recent study published in PLoS ONE, researchers found that volunteers who held thermal receipt papers after using sanitizers absorbed up to 100 times more chemicals those who hadn't used them.





Edit
Link Removed. Only AA approved links are permitted.

[Brock]

Thanks for this topic Canada1, and welcome to e-AA, welcome also to Dax who replied with some good information. We had a thread last year discussing hand sanitizers, but in that case we were concerned about people drinking them, I was trying to put a link to that but having problems with it, will try again later.

Subjects like these we tend to put in an area which covers general information, so rather than having it in the newcomer section, I have moved it to our section called ‘If it doesn't fit anywhere else.’ This is the same section the discussion was last time.

Found the link it's here - viewtopic.php?f=18&t=23279

[Tosh]

I'm having a tough time finding information on a topic we discussed earlier this evening. I was in a lecture meeting and the speaker mentioned that there was a possibility that the alcohol content in Purell could be strong enough to enter the bloodstream via the skin if the product was used multiple times daily. My concern is that this could subtlety trigger the allergy over time with moderate use. Does anyone know of this occurring?

I've used hand sanitizers daily, for years. I'm a tradesman and often don't have access to soap and water when I'm working, but I like clean hands before I eat.

I've never had any cravings for booze after using them, though the smell of them does make my mouth water.

[Mike O]

Like Tosh, I've used hand sanitising lotion for years. I've never had any desire to drink following their use.
To be honest, I've never considered the presence or absence of alcohol in them, but now that I know there is alcohol present, I shall continue to use them, without any fear of relapse.
It would of course be concerning if an alcoholic, learning of the alcohol content, began to use them in the hope that the alcohol will have some kind of effect.
I'd be interested to know if anyone ever has had a problem with them.

[Blue Moon]

IMO you would have to absorb a lot of hand-sanitiser, or have a liver and pancreas totally boxed. But the bottom line is, the allergy is not the alcoholic's real problem. I don't spend my waking hours worrying about whether handling mussels is going to trigger a mollusc allergy. Alcohol is not really our problem.

[Soberguy27]

I think you would have to be exposed for a long time and since hand sanitizers evaporate rather quickly I wouldn't worry about it. I think that sometimes we can over think things. I know I have done this before and mayne for me it's a bit harder as I have mild to moderate ocd.

[Shoreline]

There are alcohol free hand sanitizers, I don't use sanitizer but i've seen the alcohol free one in drugstores.

[avaneesh912]

There is a way to get high with the hand sanitizers, there are youtube videos out there to illustrate that. But a normal use shouldn't be an issue. Just like mouth-washes with alcohol in it. You gurgle and spit. If you swallow a great bunch of them its an issue. Also working the 12 steps of AA should place us in a place of neutrality just as our text says.

[Jeffers]

This pops into my head from time to time, honestly. I don't get an urge to drink after I use the hand sanitizer, but I do consciously think that there's a chance of that happening. Anyone else with such thoughts? Do you think that's potentially dangerous?

[Blue Moon]

This pops into my head from time to time, honestly. I don't get an urge to drink after I use the hand sanitizer, but I do consciously think that there's a chance of that happening. Anyone else with such thoughts? Do you think that's potentially dangerous?

It depends on how you “instinctively” react to it. As the BB suggests, after Step 10 when tempted by alcohol we react as though recoiling from a hot flame.

What that tells me is that I’ll be tempted from time to time, and my response indicates where I am in recovery.

That being said, I don’t go around tempting fate. I never drank a bottle of hand-sanitiser, so I don’t associate this with alcohol at all. But if you did / do then perhaps you need to use something else for a while.

[Theo50]

This pops into my head from time to time, honestly. I don't get an urge to drink after I use the hand sanitizer, but I do consciously think that there's a chance of that happening. Anyone else with such thoughts? Do you think that's potentially dangerous?

I am a chronic hand sanitizer user due my line of work. When I was drinking, I was always paranoid that the smell of it made me smell like a drunk.

I was a beer drinker, so most alcohol doesn't tempt me anymore, but when I see someone drinking a cold beer on a hot summer day, the "bad thoughts" side of my brain kicks into high gear.