According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hand washing is the beginning of infection control, but clean sources of water are not always available. When this is the case, the CDC recommends using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer such as Purell to help prevent the transmission of disease.
Ethyl Alcohol
The top active ingredient in any alcohol-based hand sanitizer is ethyl alcohol, and to a lesser extent isopropyl alcohol. Both types of alcohol are capable of quickly killing almost all bacteria and viruses, including potentially serious organisms such as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which can linger on the skin.
Resistance
Another way that alcohol-based hand sanitizers are effective is the inability of bacteria and viruses to become resistant to the effects of the alcohol, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. Resistance has been a major issue with the widespread use of antibiotics.
Availability
Alcohol based sanitizers can be used when water is not clean or is unavailable. Whether in a child's classroom or while you're out camping, sanitizers give you the ability to protect against disease without having to worry about toting around clean water. With the low cost and easy availability, alcohol-based hand sanitizers can be effective tools for preventing the spread of disease not only in the United States, but in countries lacking clean water sources.
Moisturizers
Alcohol-based hand sanitizers also contain moisturizing ingredients. For example, many sanitizers have tocopheryl acetate, glycerin and propylene glycol. These ingredients either protect the skin from loosing moisture or draw moisture from the air to deposit into the skin.
Disadvantages
There are some disadvantages to sanitizers in comparison to traditional hand washing, mainly that sanitizers do not work on visible organic matter. This includes common disease-carrying substances such as feces. Therefore, sanitizers should not be relied on in restaurants or in medical settings where absolute sanitation is required. Instead, both hand washing and sanitizers can be used to provide complete protection against spreading disease by hand.
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