Yesterday the Department of Education issued guidance for full opening of special schools and other specialist settings.
The guidance warns of unattended hand sanitiser use due to risk of ingestion by small children or students with special educational needs and disabilities
This is a risk we are very familiar with as suppliers of alcohol-free hand sanitiser to schools, care homes, hospitals, and prisons all over the country; each of those customers has it's own unique requirements that make alcohol-based solutions difficult to deploy.
We are able to use our experience in the industry to recommend and supply the appropriate product and dispensing solution based upon what's best for the service users, whether it's a foam, spray, or gel.
Risk of ingestion
Most alcohol-based hand sanitiser pumps dispense about 2.5ml of liquid per pump; 60-70% of which is ethyl alcohol. This means that with only a few dispenses a child's blood alcohol level can reach harmful amounts resulting in alcohol poisoning; symptoms of which are confusion, vomiting, drowsiness, respiratory arrest, and, in extreme cases, death.
We don't recommend deliberately ingesting our alcohol-free hand sanitiser but because the active ingredients are so effective against bacteria and viruses they are only needed in tiny amounts to be effective - less than 1% for each of DDAC and BAC, the two main active ingredients - someone would need to drink a much larger amount of the liquid for it to have an effect and because we include a surfactant it tastes like soap, minimising accidental ingestion of harmful amounts in most children.
While there are reports of incidents involving the ingestion of cleaners with greater than 10% concentration there are no reports of any product containing less than 1% concentration having harmful effects due to ingestion.
In extreme cases we have provided solutions where sanitiser application can be supervised.
Risk as a flammable accelerant
If you have ever had to write a COSHH assessment you'll appreciate our hand sanitiser!
Some of our customers have children, prisoners, and mental health patients under their care so having up to a litre of highly flammable accelerant in easily accessible dispensers around their facilities is completely out of the question.
An easy demonstration we have performed numerous times is to take some brand name hand sanitiser, ignite it using a cigarette lighter and watch how long it burns for - some formulas will even burn clear so the flame is barely visible, you can then use our alcohol-free hand sanitiser to extinguish the burning alcohol and rest assured that your service users won't be misusing our hand sanitiser.
Certification and Documentation
A large number of alcohol-based hand sanitisers available today lack any supporting documentation and are simple formulations that haven't been specifically tested for their effectiveness.
Our alcohol-free hand sanitiser has undergone extensive independent testing including BS EN 14476 (Enveloped Viruses including all Coronaviruses & SARS-CoV-2) and BS/ EN 1500 (Hygienic Handrub Test as required by the NHS).
We also supply Safety Data Sheets for all our products to assist with your health and safety and COSHH processes as well as a regulatory statement for compliance with REACH and Article 95 regulations.
In summary, these are just some of the reasons your education or healthcare service should be looking at switching to Serenity Hygiene Alcohol Free Hand Sanitiser, to find out more please do feel free to get in touch and discuss your requirements with our team.
0330 043 1029
About Us
Serenity Hygiene is a privately owned business based in Southampton, we have been providing hygiene products since 2015. We're big on fair pricing and ethics - we don't test on animals, we're vegan friendly, and we work hard to reduce unnecessary packaging and single-use plastic.