New research questions CDC’s advice on COVID-19 hand sanitizers

Alcohol, 60% concentration. It is what your hand sanitizer needs to ensure that the SARS-CoV-2 virus is killed, According to the CDC..

But a new study from BYU, Was published in Journal of Hospital Infection, Challenge this concept. Many hand sanitizers as alternatives to alcohol and three over-the-counter disinfectants used for surface wiping have been found to effectively kill the virus.

Most importantly, we discovered that a chemical known as benzalkonium chloride (BKC) definitely kills SARS-CoV-2.

If the FDA and CDC accept these findings, hand sanitizers are cheaper, more enjoyable to use, and may eventually be abundant in stores.

How is this possible?

As you may not have heard, BKC is the only alcohol-free, FDA-approved hand sanitizer on the market. It has been popular with hand sanitizers for years, and it is also an important ingredient in most antibacterial soaps. BKC is also considerably cheaper to produce in more effective quantities than alcohol.

The implications of this study are that it is possible to source a broader supply chain of PPE at a lower cost than it is today, and that there is no need to burn or irritate with alcohol if a more subdued solution exists. BKC was not only able to kill the virus. Researchers also killed the virus when simulating real-world situations, such as diluting hand sanitizers with residual water due to hand stains and rinsing. And it did it in just 15 seconds.

“In my opinion, I’ve done a lot of research on disinfectants, [15 seconds] It’s as good as you can expect, “says Benjamin Ogilvie, a BYU graduate student in microbiology and molecular biology who led the study. He says it is logistically impractical to observe how disinfectants affect the virus faster than that.

These results were expected, but needed

As Ogilby admits, the results of this study are in line with what he expected. BKC proved to be effective against the coronavirus prior to this new study. In particular, it has not been shown to work with SARS-CoV-2. David Edwards, a Harvard pathogen expert who participated in the review of the paper, found that the results were equally predictable. “BKC is a well-known antibacterial agent … The results of the study here are not surprising,” says Edwards.

So, if experts aren’t surprised that BKC works to kill SARS-CoV-2, why is CDC no longer recommending its use? Ogilby dates the controversy back to March. Frequently cited papers published by Institut für Hygiene in Germany.. This treatise is not a new laboratory study, but is known as a “review” that examines previous literature on a topic.

“This review linked it to research in the 1980s, but it was a bit suspicious,” says Ogilvie. BKC concludes that it is “less effective” in surface sterilization than alcohol. Since March, Institut für Hygiene’s treatise has been questioned. By both chemists And Disinfectant manufacturer.. (The Institut für Hygiene team did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publication.) However, the impact is still felt in our policy. The CDC not only recommends the exclusive use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers. The FDA limits the US’s potential to increase BKC disinfectant production during a pandemic.

The FDA provides prompt approval (PDF) For the manufacture of alcohol-based disinfectants. This allows disinfectants to be manufactured at local distilleries and other unconventional manufacturing plants. If the FDA provides this same approval for the BKC disinfectant, we can have a much larger pool of manufacturers that make it.

Better practicality of BKC disinfectant

If BKC is recommended by the CDC, the availability of hand sanitizers will increase, but the cost may decrease, as much less BKC is required to use the disinfectant effectively than alcohol. Effective use of hand sanitizers requires a concentration of 60% alcohol, but only 0.2% BKC.

“One gallon of BKC can make 500 gallons of hand sanitizer, but the same amount of alcohol can make 1.4 liters of alcohol hand sanitizer,” says Ogilvie. According to estimates on the back of his own napkin, BKC disinfectants are about one-third less expensive to manufacture than alcohol-based disinfectants.

Therefore, BKC is a more versatile and efficient disinfectant to produce than alcohol. But the greatest attraction of this chemical may be the more attractive human factor. BKC does not smell and is comfortable to use.

“One of the great benefits of BKC is that it doesn’t stab your hands or irritate your skin like alcohol does,” says Ogilvy. “This could probably lead to better compliance among healthcare professionals.” Or perhaps all of us.