 News outlets around the world carried the story this week of Russian soccer coach Alexander Shprygin and the advice he gave his team’s fans for protecting themselves from the H1N1 virus (a.k.a., “Swine Flu’) as they travel to Wales for next month’s World Cup qualifier: “We urge our fans to drink a lot of Welsh whiskey as a form of disinfection.” That kind of advice raised two questions in the minds of staffers at CLEANpHIRST™: - IS WHISKEY REALLY EFFECTIVE AGAINST SWINE FLU? and
- IS THERE MUCH DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 100-PROOF WHISKEY AND ALCOHOL-BASED HAND SANITIZER?
To help answer those questions, perhaps a side-by-side comparison, as offered in the chart above, might help: - ALCOHOL CONTENT – The average shot of 100-proof whiskey (i.e., the kind that’s strong enough to be flammable) contains about 50% alcohol by volume, while the average alcohol-based hand sanitizer (i.e., the kind that’s strong enough to be flammable) is required by the FDA to have at least 62% alcohol by volume to be considered effective.
- EVAPORATION — If you pour 100-proof whiskey on your arm, the alcohol in it will evaporate within 10 to 15 seconds. So will the alcohol (i.e., the “active’ ingredient) in the alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- FLAMMABILITY — If you try to light 100-proof whiskey on fire, the alcohol in it will ignite. Similarly, the alcohol in an alcohol-based hand sanitizer will catch fire and burn blue when you light it. (If you don’t believe it, watch this video or one of many more that surface through a search for “hand sanitizer” on YouTube).
- INGESTION — If you drink too much 100-proof whiskey, the alcohol in it will make you drunk and/or sick and you risk the possibility of death if you ingest too much. Similarly, the alcohol in an alcohol-based hand sanitizer will make you drunk and/or sick if you ingest too much of it — and, yes, death is a possibility. As highlighted in a Jan. 20, 2007, report from WCCO-TV, the CBS affiliate in Minneapolis, hand sanitizer contains such a high alcohol content that even a couple of teaspoons can be harmful to a small, curious child who ingests it.
- AVAILABILITY — In most states, an individual must be 21 years old to purchase 100-proof whiskey (or, for that matter, any hard liquor). When it comes to hand sanitizer, however, anyone of any age — even that small, curious child — can purchase it at any store in the country.
Do you really want to keep using 100-proof whiskey alcohol-based hand sanitizer? If not, switch to Alcohol-Free Foam Hand Sanitizer. To purchase some, click here. Labels: cleanphirst, H1N1 Swine Flu, Hand Sanitizer
posted by CLEANpHIRST
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