Sanitizing Your Sanity

    Are you the type of person that feels genuine satisfaction from using hand sanitizer? A rush of relaxation and security floods you like the tide covering a beach in Southern California. With a variety of smells from various bath and body shops across the world, any one person can smell like an extravaganza of sensory related goodness.

    I think it's important to realize that hand sanitizer isn't just a form of deodorant, but rather a means to kill off harmful bacteria that could easily spread from one person to another. I think one of the best things about hand sanitizer is the fact that it is widely popular for use in businesses across the world. 
For example, you can enter almost any of the "open for dining" restaurants in America and find a small bottle, a wall dispenser, or even a hands free sanitizing station, free of charge, which can really help in reducing the spread of viruses.

    What most people don't hear about, however, is the negative side of regular sanitization in this pandemic-ridden world. Amir Hakimi and William Armstrong explain a lot about why too much, or even continual, use of hand sanitizer can be a very bad idea. Their article, "Hand Sanitizer in a Pandemic: Wrong Formulations in the Wrong Hands," in The Journal of Emergency Medicine covers all of the ins and outs of the main reason why sanitizer is not good for your skin, especially when you are a child. The authors conducted a study after realizing an increase of toxicity in children had occurred in the US. They suggest that it's because of the progressive use of hand sanitizer, which makes me wonder about my own consumption.

    After realizing that alcohol based sanitizers can be harmful to a child's immune system, I began to consider my own consumption of the germ killer. The previous research implies that adults aren't as susceptible, because they have a stronger and more developed immune system.

    The next viable resource I found on the topic was from, The Science of the Total Environment. This article "COVID-19 and frequent use of hand sanitizers; human health and environmental hazards by exposure pathways," by Adeel Mahmood et al., shows a more in-depth look at the sanitizing agent's effect on children. It sort of advances the previous source by telling that the toxicity is actually alcohol poisoning.

    One last thought by way of research is from healthychildren.org. Simply the quote, "Call 911 right away if your child has collapsed, is having a seizure, is having a hard time breathing, or if they can't wake up after using or swallowing hand sanitizer products," is enough.

    A child doesn't have the health capacity to weather the storm of anti-bacterial hand cleaner. So, it's with a "clean" conscience that I make a bold statement. Don't let your kids use too much, or maybe any hand sanitizer because it could be harmful or even fatal.