What are the 0.01% of germs that hand sanitizers can’t kill?
In: Chemistry
Alcohol-based hand sanitizer kills basically everything it touches, the issue is that there are nooks and crannies in your skin where the hand sanitizer doesn’t reach. Any little microbes that find themselves in those areas can avoid the hand sanitizing effects. Because of this, they can’t say it kills 100% of bacteria because, if tested and any microbes grow, you could put yourself in legal trouble.
There are certain bacteria that are resistant to alcohol. One of the most well – known is Clostridium difficile (C. diff), specifically C. diff spores. When treating patients with C. diff, you’re supposed to take extra precautions to avoid spreading the spores because they are so robust and resistant to sanitization.
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