Question

One of the active ingredients in Purell hand sanitizer is isopropyl alcohol. According to the instructions on its website, “Thoroughly wet hands with product. Rub hands together briskly until dry. No rinsing required. No towels needed." Explain how this product works.

Answer 1

Hand Sanitizers works by killing cells - not human cells. It kills microbial cells. It is based on the use of 70% isopropyl alcohol, which is rubbing alcohol. This 70% concentration of rubbing alcohol is most effective in killing germs - even more effective than 100%. Because it contains a little water, it improves penetration. For a virus, sanitizers work by disrupting the outer layer of the virus. For a bacterium, they act by disrupting their cell membrane. This is not a panacea, however, as some viruses without an outer coat (like the one that causes cruise ship diarrhea) or spore-forming bacteria (like C. difficile) are not very susceptible.

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