Antimicrobial functional ingredients used in hand hygiene products: a cross-sectional survey on regional e-commerce platforms in Wuhan area of China.

Control measures for disinfectant pollution and related anthropogenic behaviors are required. Benzalkonium chloride (BAC) with widespread use especially in hand sanitization is highlighted as a representative disinfectant emerging contaminant. This cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitudes, practice regarding BAC use for hand hygiene among medical students from the perspective of environmental sustainability. Of the 703 responding students, only 3.7% had never used hand sanitizer products containing BAC. But few students paid attention to the “environmental friendliness” property of products when consumption. Mean knowledge test score was 1.90 out of 5, suggesting poor knowledge regarding BAC use. Most students had positive attitudes toward source control of BAC pollution and strong intentions to learn more about environmental knowledge related to BAC and other disinfectants. Data indicated that medical students had positive attitudes but lacked knowledge and practices towards eco-friendly disinfectant use, thus further training and practice standards are required.

Goal: The goal of the present work is to analyze the techno-economic viability of a biorefinery to generate ethanol and alcohol-based hand sanitizer from sweet potato waste within the concept of a circular economy. Design / Methodology / Approach: A survey of expenses for a 1000 L.day-1 distilled plant was carried out, and five different market scenarios were evaluated, varying the rate of production of each product. Results: Results show that the higher the production of the hand sanitizer, the more lucrative the scenarios are. The economic breakeven point occurs when the percentage of the alcohol-based hand sanitizer production is equal to 34%. However, the project becomes economically attractive from the production rate of 39%. The scenario for 80% of alcohol-based hand sanitizer production resulted in NPV of US$ 913,140.92, IRR of 64%, with a discounted payback of 0.72 year. Limitations of the investigation: It was considered that all the production was sold, which is in line with the current market demand. However, if the market slows down, the sales and the revenue obtained may be lower. Practical implications: The production of hand sanitizer from sweet potato waste is an opportunity to meet the market needs in scenarios such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Besides, the proposed biorefinery promotes the development of the circular economy through waste minimization. Originality / Value: No studies about the production of ethanol and alcohol-based hand sanitizer from sweet potato waste in an integrated way, and the simulation of different real market scenarios were found.

BackgroundAntiseptics, disinfectants, and hand hygiene products can be contaminated with bacteria and cause healthcare-associated infections, which are underreported from low- and middle-income countries. To better understand the user-related risk factors, we conducted a knowledge, awareness, and practice survey among hospital staff in sub-Saharan Africa.MethodsSelf-administered questionnaire distributed among healthcare workers in three tertiary care hospitals (Burkina Faso, Benin, Democratic Republic of the Congo).Results617 healthcare workers (85.3% (para)medical and 14.7% auxiliary staff) participated. Less than half (45.5%) had been trained in Infection Prevention & Control (IPC), and only 15.7% were trained < 1 year ago. Near two-thirds (64.2%) preferred liquid soap for hand hygiene, versus 33.1% for alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR). Most (58.3%) expressed confidence in the locally available products. Knowledge of product categories, storage conditions and shelf-life was inadequate: eosin was considered as an antiseptic (47.5% of (para)medical staff), the shelf life and storage conditions (non-transparent container) of freshly prepared chlorine 0.5% were known by only 42.6% and 34.8% of participants, respectively. Approximately one-third of participants approved using tap water for preparation of chlorine 0.5% and liquid soap. Most participants (> 80%) disapproved recycling soft-drink bottles as liquid soap containers. Nearly two-thirds (65.0%) declared that bacteria may be resistant to and survive in ABHR, versus 51.0% and 37.4% for povidone iodine and chlorine 0.5%, respectively. Depicted risk practices (n = 4) were ignored by 30 to 40% of participants: they included touching the rim or content of stock containers with compresses or small containers, storing of cotton balls soaked in an antiseptic, and hand-touching the spout of pump dispenser. Filling containers by topping-up was considered good practice by 18.3% of participants. Half (52.1%) of participants acknowledged indefinite reuse of containers. Besides small differences, the findings were similar across the study sites and professional groups. Among IPC-trained staff, proportions recognizing all 4 risk practices were higher compared to non-trained staff (35.9% versus 23.8%, p < 0.0001).ConclusionsThe present findings can guide tailored training and IPC implementation at the healthcare facility and national levels, and sensitize stakeholders’ and funders’ interest.

Local production of hand hygiene products result in increased availability and compliance with hand hygiene in healthcare settings and significant cost saving to hospitals if effective and acceptable. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness, acceptability, and cost benefit of a locally produced hand sanitizer to commercial hand sanitizer products. This was a comparative cross sectional study carried out among students of the Faculty of Clinical Sciences, University of Uyo in July 2019. Three hand sanitizer products, one locally produced and two commercial hand sanitizer products were compared. Bacterial growth from swabs from the hands of sixty students collected before and after use of one of the three hand sanitizer products were compared to determine bacterial reduction. Participants also assessed the products by scoring the product on a questionnaire using a five-point scale. The cost per litre of hand sanitizer products was calculated and compared. The mean percentage reduction of bacterial colony-forming units (CFU) was highest for the locally produced hand sanitizer product. There was no significant difference between acceptability of products for the criteria assessed except colour for which the local product had higher acceptability score than other products. The locally produced hand sanitizer was much cheaper than the commercially products. The in-house produced hand sanitizer product provides higher bacterial reduction than commercial products, has good acceptability among users and provides significant cost savings to the hospital. Key words: Hand sanitizer, hand hygiene, Nigeria, production.

&lt;em&gt;The beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in Salatiga began in March 2020 which caused a shortage of commercial hand sanitizer supplies. The production of herbal hand sanitizer is a solution for commercial products. This community service activity aims to produce herbal hand sanitizer to overcome the scarcity of hand sanitizer in Salatiga City. The method used is a laboratory experiment with stages; plant inventory, production of hand sanitizer, and antimicrobial testing. Inventory is done by collecting library-journal information, then conducting a field survey. The production of sanitizing liquid is carried out by laboratory experiments to get a good formulation. Antimicrobial test was carried out by diffusion technique. Herbal hand sanitizing liquid made from green betel, red betel, citronella, and star anise and the results of antimicrobial analysis have medium inhibition. A total of 1041.5 l of herbal hand sanitizer that have been distributed to the public free of charge. Testimonials from people who use herbal hand sanitizer are that they are not dry on the hands, not sticky, and have a fragrant aroma. The resulting product is still below commercial products on the market, but still has effectiveness in killing microorganisms.&lt;/em&gt;

BackgroundThe World Health Organization declared COVID-19, the disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), a global pandemic on March 11, 2020. Non-pharmaceutical interventions such as social distancing, handwashing, using hand sanitizer, and wearing facial masks are recommended as the first line of protection against COVID-19. Encouraging hand hygiene may be one of the most cost-effective means of reducing the global burden of disease.MethodsThis study uses a web-based questionnaire to evaluate the usage patterns and consumer perceptions of the effectiveness and health safety of bar soap, liquid hand soap, and hand sanitizer products before and after the spread of COVID-19.ResultsThe results show that since the outbreak of COVID-19, the number of consumers who primarily use bar soap has decreased from 71.8 to 51.4%, the number of those who primarily use liquid hand soap has increased from 23.5 to 41.3%, and the number of those who use and carry hand sanitizer has increased. The frequency of use, duration of use, and amount used of all three products have increased significantly since the COVID-19 outbreak. Finally, consumer perception of the products’ preventive effect against COVID-19 is higher for liquid hand soap and hand sanitizer than it is for bar soap.ConclusionsBecause use of hand sanitizers has increased, public health guidelines must address the potential risks associated them. Our data also show that the public is abiding by the recommendations of the regulatory authorities. As handwashing has become important in preventing COVID-19 infections, the results of our study will support the development of better handwashing guidelines and a public health campaign.

Background: Hand hygiene is very important because human hands are often contaminated with microorganisms, so that it becomes an intermediary for the entry of disease-causing microorganisms into the body, especially Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The use of hand sanitizer has shown an increase in society. Hand sanitizers are available with various types of packaging, dosage forms, variations in the composition of active ingredients and their carriers at quite competitive prices.Objective: To determine the antibacterial effect of various hand sanitizers available in the market and their comparison with antiseptic handwash soap.Methods: Antibacterial effectiveness test using the Kirby Bauer method by measuring the diameter of the clear zone produced on Muller Hinton media by diffusion discs tested with four hand sanitizer products available in the market compared with antiseptic hand soap as positive control and akuades as negative control.Results: Various hand sanitizer products containing 70% alcohol showed moderate to strong inhibition against E. coli and S.aureus. Analysis of differences in the activities of various hand sanitizer products using the KruskalWallis non-parametric method showed a difference with p= 0.003 against E. coli and p=0.002 against S.aureus. Alcohol denatures bacterial proteins so that it interferes with the metabolic processes of bacterial cells which causes bacterial cell death.Conclusion: Hand sanitizer is effectively used to inhibit the growth of E. coli and S.aureus bacteria.

Keeping hands clean from viruses and bacteria is the easiest way to prevent disease transmission. Apart from washing hands with soap, using hand sanitizer products without water or hand sanitizers is also recommended. The purpose of the dedication is to manufacture antibacterial hand sanitizer products which are dominated by natural active ingredients, namely chitosan and Vitamin E moisturizing ingredients which are soft, safe and comfortable for users, and smell good because they contain essential oil. The presence of Chitosan reduces the alcohol content which is too strong but provides more effectiveness for its antimicrobial properties. Hand sanitizers usually contain alcohol, for example, ethanol, as an active substance that works as an antiseptic. Other ingredients are water, fragrance, and glycerin. The use of alcohol as the main antibacterial agent in hand sanitizers can have negative effects on users, including irritation to the hands down to the throat and can even cause digestive disorders. , comfortable and of course affordable by all levels of society. There are two hand sanitizers, namely hand sanitizer gel and hand sanitizer spray. The targeted output of this community service program can increase the productivity and efficiency of handsanitizer production and proposed intellectual property (IP) in the form of patents and trademarks.

Hand sanitizer is an alcohol-based hand washing product that can be available in liquid or gel form. Hand sanitizer can kill bacteria and germs on the surface of the hands without having to rinse with water. Bay leaf extract (Syzygium polyanthum) has been known to have antibacterial properties, so it is necessary to make hand sanitizer products based on bay leaf extract. The process of presenting PkM material is carried out using the lecture method assisted by infocus equipment. Meanwhile, the process of making liquid hand sanitizer products is carried out through a demonstration method. The results obtained in this PkM activity are a liquid hand sanitizer product that has a pH of 5, a distinctive bay leaf aroma and hand sanitizer products that are yellowish green or which are usually different from the color of hand sanitizer products in general. Hand sanitizer products are safe to use on the surface of the skin because the pH adjusts to the skin's pH of 4.5 - 6.5. The results of this PkM were also measured based on the post-test conducted on the training participants which showed that as many as 95% of the training participants or as many as 19 people out of 20 participants received an average score of 85 which indicated that the training participants had understood and were able to demonstrate this PkM activity with good. Meanwhile, there was 1 participant or 5% of the participants who got a score of 60, which means they did not understand this PkM activity well.

The increasing cases of infection and the number of deaths triggered by COVID-19 make all prevention and treatment efforts urgent. Increased discipline to maintain hand hygiene must be sought immediately to break the chain of its spread. The availability of alcohol-based hand sanitizer products with various specifications is needed to ensure increased discipline in hand hygiene. This study carried out the diversification of alcohol-based hand sanitizers by varying the active ingredients and preparations. The effect of alcohol on the characteristics and anti-microbial activity of the gel and wipe hand sanitizer products was studied to obtain optimal benefits. The best hand sanitizer characteristics are shown in gel formulation 3 with bioethanol as an active ingredient, which has pH 5.88, good homogeneity, density 0.95 g/cm3, viscosity 2783.69 cPs, dispersibility 5.16 cm, adhesion 3.21 s, and dry time 29.27 s. While the best formulation of wipe hand sanitizer produced by formulation 3 made from bioethanol has a pH of 6.14, good homogeneity, density 0.86 g/cm3, viscosity 2.812 cPs, spreadability 15.34 cm, adhesion 1.92 s, and dry time 18.20 s. The biological activity test results of the two best hand sanitizer formulations, gel, and wipe preparations, showed good anti-microbial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella. In addition, the two preparations of hand sanitizer products were also detected to have good stability characteristics up to 4 weeks of storage time.

Indonesia is currently amid a Covid-19 virus pandemic. One of the efforts that can be done to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus is to wash your hands with soap, or you can use a hand sanitizer. However, hand sanitizers are mostly made of chemicals, many people feel side effects including dry skin, dermatitis, and irritation. This research aims to make hand sanitizer products made from natural ingredients, namely from extracts of aur-aur grass (Commelina diffusa Burm F.). Phytochemical tests showed that aur-aur grass contained 5,188.73 ppm flavonoid compounds, 8,673.60 ppm total phenol (tannin), and 466.30 ppm alkaloids. The manufacture of hand sanitizers was carried out in four variations with each sample having aur-aur extract levels of 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%. Of the existing hand sanitizer products, all of them have a pH of ±5 and get good responses from satisfaction values ​​above 80%. Hand sanitizer products also can inhibit bacterial growth. The increase in extract levels in the hand sanitizer is directly proportional to the ability to inhibit bacteria, as shown by sample D which has an average inhibition zone of 9.77 mm.

The Center for Home Industry chips on Bandar Lampung. The problem of this is the waste that has not been managed properly, the chip waste IRT waste in the form of fruit peels, leaves, fruit stalks, humps has the potential to be made of high-selling value products, diversification can be in the form of hand sanitizer products. The purpose of this activity is to solve the Partner's problem by disseminating research results in the form of transfer of waste treatment technology into a hand sanitizer. The method used is lectures and discussions on the dissemination of research results, assistance in processing wastewater into hand sanitizer products. The need for partners to process waste products into products that have value in the form of making herbal solid soap, followed by liquid soap, hand sanitizer, natural anti-microbial, feed making, composting and liquid fertilizer. The percentage increase in knowledge and understanding of the material after the service activities is the utilization of waste (40%), making feed (50%), making hand sanitizer (70%).

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers (ABHS) increased worldwide among the public as well as the health care workers in pursuit to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the causative virus of COVID-19. Hand hygiene is one of the primary preventive measures to prevent the spread of harmful germs. Although ABHS are effective hand hygiene products and help reduce the transmission of pathogenic microorganisms, appropriate use of such products is necessary to ensure the maximum killing of pathogens and to prevent hazards associated with ABHS. The effectiveness of ABHS against different microorganisms, including SARS-CoV-2 is also documented, but proper knowledge on hand hygiene techniques, selection of appropriate hand sanitizer product, and safe handling of ABHS are required to avoid their adverse effects such as allergies, skin irritation, lung injury, fire hazards, and toxicities. The effectiveness of ABHS is dependent on several factors including its appropriate usage, manufacturing methods, the choice of active agents, and the appropriateness of the agent on the target pathogen. This article highlights the importance of proper usage, handling, and appropriate ABHS selection for maximum efficacy against intended pathogens and safe use of ABHS. User awareness can help promote the appropriate usage of ABHS and prevent its hazards, which ultimately can help in preventing the transmission of pathogenic microorganisms.

Health-care-associated infections (HCAIs) are a major global safety concern for patients, health- care professionals and public health particularly in developing countries where access to hand washing facilities is limited due to infrastructure. Alcohol-based hand sanitizer offers a viable alternative where water sources are unreliable or insufficient. However, in resource-limited settings, the introduction of alcohol-based hand sanitizer has been slow due to economic, manufacturing and procurement challenges compounded by the lack of evidence as to its acceptability in varying organizational cultures. This case study describes the process of producing, educating, distributing, scaling up and monitoring the impact of a quality improvement project to locally produce alcohol based hand sanitizer using the formula provided by the World Health Organization in a district hospital in Rwanda. During a 10-month implementation, hand sanitizer was made available to all departments of the hospital and all hospital staff received training on the proper use and ordering of the product. The overall hand hygiene compliance using any method significantly increased from 59% pre intervention to 67% post intervention (P < 0.001). Specifically, the use of hand sanitizer for hygiene significantly increased from 46% to 58% (P < 0.001). By producing hand sanitizer in-house, the hospital saved 71% when compared to purchasing commercial products. The use of hand sanitizer is not a replacement for running water in the hospital. However, with the lack of proper infrastructure, making hand sanitizer available is an acceptable alternative to improve the infection prevention and control standard. The production of hand sanitizer within a health care facility is cost effective and is feasible to integrate into existing operations. The team is working with the Rwandan Ministry of Health to introduce the program to all public hospitals as a national program.

BackgroundHand hygiene is fundamental in reducing the risk of infections, particularly in healthcare and foodservice settings where cross-contamination can easily occur. Understanding the efficacy of different hand hygiene products is crucial for risk assessments, choosing interventions and establishing effective guidance. There is little evidence directly comparing hand wash to alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) for germ reduction on hands. This study evaluated the in vivo effectiveness of a typical foaming hand wash and ABHR in reducing bacterial load and transfer to food items.aThe data are expressed as mean results with the standard deviations (SD). Means with different letters in the same column are significantly different (p≤0.05).MethodsLeading commercially available products (one ABHR and one non-antibacterial foam handwash) were tested with one dose as delivered from their respective automatic wall mounted dispenser using ASTM E2784 (“Standard Test Method for Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Handwash Formulations Using the Paper Towel (Palmar) Method of Hand Contamination”). Twelve subjects used all test configurations on the same day in a cross over design. Mean log10 reductions of Escherichia coli (ATCC #10536) on hands as well as bacterial counts transferred to melon balls was measured. Analysis of variance was used for statistical data interpretation.Figure 1.Mean results by hand hygiene intervention type. Error bars indicate 95% confidence intervals.ResultsThe results indicate varying degrees of efficacy among the tested hand hygiene products (Table 1). A hand wash with a 20-second lather duration exhibited the smallest mean log reduction (LR) of 3.00 and the highest mean log transfer to melon (4.64). ABHR demonstrated superior efficacy (p≤0.05). One dose of ABHR achieved a mean LR of 4.06 and a mean log transfer to melon of 2.58. "Sani-Once," a combination of two doses of ABHR and paper towel, exhibited the highest efficacy, with a mean LR of 4.99 and a mean log transfer to melon of 1.88 (Figure 1).ConclusionThis study highlights the importance of choosing appropriate hand hygiene products based on realistic test methods. Disrupting pathogen transmission from hands to food is particularly relevant in both food preparation and service to patients/residents in a healthcare setting. While hand washing can provide substantial bacterial reduction, ABHR intervention (particularly when combined with a paper towel) demonstrates superior efficacy in reducing bacterial load and minimizing transfer to food items.DisclosuresJames W. Arbogast, PhD, GOJO Industries Inc.: I was an employee with GOJO until September 1, 2023 (laid off). I have no interaction with them on this abstract and study - so no conflict for me. David A. Buckley, Ph.D., Diversey, a Solenis Company: Advisor/Consultant James Marsden, Ph.D., GOJO: Advisor/Consultant Donald W. Schaffner, Ph.D., GOJO Inc: Advisor/Consultant