"kills flu germs"

[JoeTheJuggler]

I was just in a Walgreens this afternoon.

On a number of products someone had stuck small stickers that say "KILLS FLU GERMS". These weren't factory labels, but something apparently stuck on in the store.

They were stuck on alcohol-based anti-bacterial hand sanitizers and triclosan-based anti-bacterial liquid soap. (Not surprisingly, the stickers were invariably put on the more expensive brand of products all with the same active ingredients.)

Quite a few studies (http://www.ewg.org/node/26859) show that triclosan is no better than plain soap in removing viruses. (That is, it's the washing that seems to be most important in removing, not killing, viruses.)

The "flu germ" is a virus. Antibacterials are pretty worthless on "flu germs". (In fact, I read that there's some evidence that using antibacterial hand sanitizers can actually result in increased risk of spreading the flu.)

Aren't there any regulations on these kinds of claims?

I realize I'm talking about Walgreens, which sells the homeopathic flu remedy Oscillococcinum right alongside OTC with actual active ingredients. . . .

[Dymanic]

The problem with Triclosan is that legions of consumers have been persuaded that they need the protection it offers when it is included in, say, hand soap -- and this overuse of an effective antibacterial in situations where it is not warranted is creating resistance in some microbes, making it more difficult to control them in clinical environments where such extra measures are warranted.

Hand sanitizers containing ethyl alcohol are demonstrably effective in killing influenza virus if the concentrations are high enough, and the mechanism by which it works makes it essentially impossible for the virus to develop resistance to it. Unfortunately, there really is not a lot of good evidence indicating that this is actually a very effective means of preventing the spread of the virus.

[JoeTheJuggler]

Hand sanitizers containing ethyl alcohol are demonstrably effective in killing influenza virus if the concentrations are high enough, and the mechanism by which it works makes it essentially impossible for the virus to develop resistance to it.
I stand corrected. I had wrong information at least on this point. Now I read that it takes 60% alcohol to kill the virus, and most alcohol-based hand sanitizers are 65%.


Unfortunately, there really is not a lot of good evidence indicating that this is actually a very effective means of preventing the spread of the virus.
Which is more of a problem if people are using hand sanitizer instead of hand washing. The CDC and everyone else says they're OK to use when you don't have access to soap and water.

OK. . . I'm less outraged about this now.
:blush: