Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
Environmental Chemical Pollution and Health Research Unit, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
Int J Environ Health Res. 2024 Feb;34(2):719-731. doi: 10.1080/09603123.2023.2166020. Epub 2023 Jan 18.
Health agencies recommend using hand sanitisers as protection against the coronavirus. Thus far, the emphasis on hand sanitiser studies is limited to an analysis of disinfectant content only. This study aims to provide an extended analysis of 60 off-the-shelf alcohol-based hand sanitisers by using gas chromatography to report on alcohol content and the presence of impurities, a recombinant yeast estrogen screen to assess estrogenic activity, and an investigation into labelling compliance with the South African National Standard. Fifty hand sanitisers had an alcohol content of ≥60% v/v alcohol; however, most contained skin irritants and substances that could harm human and environmental health. Estrogenic activity was detected in 29 hand sanitisers and none of the products complied with all the labelling requirements. Since off-the-shelf hand sanitisers in South Africa are not regulated and monitored, evidence-based public awareness programmes on hand sanitiser quality and safety should become a priority.
卫生机构建议使用手部消毒剂来预防冠状病毒。到目前为止，对手部消毒剂研究的重视仅限于仅对消毒剂含量进行分析。本研究旨在通过使用气相色谱法报告酒精含量和杂质的存在，重组酵母雌激素筛选法评估雌激素活性，并对标签与南非国家标准的符合性进行调查，对 60 种现成的酒精基手部消毒剂进行扩展分析。五十种手部消毒剂的酒精含量≥60%v/v 酒精；然而，大多数都含有皮肤刺激物和可能危害人类和环境健康的物质。在 29 种手部消毒剂中检测到雌激素活性，并且没有一种产品符合所有标签要求。由于南非的现成手部消毒剂不受监管和监测，因此应该优先考虑开展关于手部消毒剂质量和安全性的基于证据的公众意识计划。
