ELI5- what happens to the 1% of germs not killed by hand sanitizer?
In: Biology
Those germs are hiding underneath or inside the natural oil of your skin, they’re inside your pores, under your fingernails – basically anywhere the alcohol can’t get to. It will continue to live and reproduce, slowly increasing its numbers once more.
Other germs like norovirus actually have a “shell” called a capsid which cannot be penetrated by hand sanitizer, so they are “immune” to it. These germs just… continue to hang out on your hand, unbothered.
Don’t rely on hand sanitizer, wash your hands whenever possible.
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