Ingredients in Hand Sanitizer?

[lambchoplady]

Does anyone know what ingredients are in the Hand Sanitizer? Specifically, does it contain aloe or an anti-bacterial like neomycin? I am allergic to many hand sanitizers and need to balance the risk of severe skin reactions and subsequent infections vs. the risk of norovirus.

[Cruising4]

I don't know of the ingredients in the hand sanitizer but it seems to me there were two types - the spray from the bottle was offered entering and leaving the dining areas and the squirt from the self-serve globes near the entrance of the dining areas.

 

The spray was more liquid than the typical gel substance from the self-serve globes.

 

At no point did I think the spray offered was mandatory. I firmly believe I would have smiled and said "no thank you" and it would not have been an issue at all.

[bakerintn]

Since none of the sanitizer is labelled I don't see how anyone here could have an informed opinion as to the contents.

[Crusin6]

just bring and use your own brand. when they try to force you to use theirs by shoving it in your face as you enter the buffet etc...just say no thanks, I am allergic and I use my own brand and walk on.

 

while they do try to "force" or should I say "strongly suggest" that you use sanitizer, it is not mandatory.

 

btw, we use very little of it in our home and also have very little illness here as well.

 

a certain amount of germs are good for the average human body.

[Love my butler]

NCL pushes the hand sanitizer quite a bit. I never use it. The washy washy guys sometimes get mad at me, but I am a big boy and wash my hands with soap and water frequently. If you have allergies I suggest you also never use NCL's sanitizers.

[Rounder]

 

Hand Hygiene

Appropriate hand hygiene is likely the single most important method to prevent norovirus infection and control transmission. Reducing any norovirus present on hands is best accomplished by thorough handwashing with running water and plain or antiseptic soap. Washing with plain soap and water reduces the number of microbes on hands via mechanical removal of loosely adherent microorganisms (106). The efficacy of alcohol-based and other hand sanitizers against norovirus remains controversial with mixed evidence depending on the product formulation and evaluation methodology. In finger pad studies, soap and water used for 20 seconds have been demonstrated to reduce norovirus by 0.7–1.2 log10 by RT-PCR assay, whereas alcohol-based hand sanitizers did not demonstrate any appreciable reduction of viral RNA (107). However, such studies cannot determine whether the residual virus remains viable given the inability to cultivate human norovirus in vitro.

Studies using cultivable surrogate viruses such as murine norovirus (MNV) or feline calicivirus (FCV) have demonstrated that ethanol has superior efficacy against FCV compared with other alcohols (e.g., propanol-1 and propanol-2), and formulations containing 70% ethanol were able to reduce

infectious MNV by 2.5 log10 after 30 seconds (108–110). The sensitivity of FCV to low pH and the relatively high susceptibility of MNV to alcohols suggest that sanitizers that are effective against both surrogate viruses might be more likely to be effective against human norovirus, than those effective against only one of the surrogates (111). In addition, reduction of viral RNA (as opposed to reduced infectivity of cultivable surrogates) does not appear to be a reliable means of estimating the effectiveness of hand sanitizers against human norovirus (111).

Overall, studies suggest that proper hand washing with soap and running water for at least 20 seconds is the most effective way to reduce norovirus contamination on the hands, whereas hand sanitizers might serve as an effective adjunct in between proper handwashings but should not be considered a substitute for soap and water handwashing (106–111). As an additional preventive strategy, no bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat foods (foods edible without washing, cooking, or additional preparation to achieve food safety) is recommended (112; FDA, unpublished data, 2011)

It would appear soap is the best. This was copied and pasted,from the CDC report, on Noro Virus.

[Us2inFL]

Just be more conscientious that the guys I see come out of the toilet stall, pull open the corridor door, and head directly for the tongs at the buffet.

[babyher]

NCL pushes the hand sanitizer quite a bit. I never use it. The washy washy guys sometimes get mad at me, but I am a big boy and wash my hands with soap and water frequently. If you have allergies I suggest you also never use NCL's sanitizers.

 

 

My doctor tells me the hand sanitizer is better than nothing if you can't get near soap and water before eating of touching food , But Good old soap and water is still best.

 

 

He always laughs and says some people carry this stuff around and use it like it cures cancer, makes you lose weight and keeps you from getting pregnant.

[Richpontone]

Most people believe that hand sanitizers which are mostly alcohol based, will prevent them from getting sick. Even the washy washy NCL staff are brainwashed into believing that. But check the Wikipedia about the Noro virus which causes the most stomach sickness on a cruise. It will tell that hand sanitizer will not kill the virus. Only disinfectants containing bleach or vigorous, thorough hand washing with hot soap and water will kill it. Do it before every meal and then do it a couple of more times between meals. You almost have to be obsessive about it but it beats staying in your cabin for several days, too ill to eat or to do anything on your paid cruise.

[RIvacationgirl]

I don't know of the ingredients in the hand sanitizer but it seems to me there were two types - the spray from the bottle was offered entering and leaving the dining areas and the squirt from the self-serve globes near the entrance of the dining areas.

 

The spray was more liquid than the typical gel substance from the self-serve globes.

 

At no point did I think the spray offered was mandatory. I firmly believe I would have smiled and said "no thank you" and it would not have been an issue at all.

 

On the Jewel, I had just washed my hands(I am a nurse, so I know how to wash my hands!), explained to the host in the Blue Lagoon that I had just washed my hands, and she would not allow me to enter if I did not use the hand wash gel. I went back and forth, and eventually my DH said just do the gel and she finally let me in. At this venue, it was mandatory for me. I personally do like hand wash gels, but I understand their policy to prevent illness outbreaks.

[Crusin6]

On the Jewel, I had just washed my hands(I am a nurse, so I know how to wash my hands!), explained to the host in the Blue Lagoon that I had just washed my hands, and she would not allow me to enter if I did not use the hand wash gel. I went back and forth, and eventually my DH said just do the gel and she finally let me in. At this venue, it was mandatory for me. I personally do like hand wash gels, but I understand their policy to prevent illness outbreaks.

 

Just another example of the slippery slope we are allowing ourselves to go down.

 

Next up..and even though those regulations will NOT have a single thing to do with a ship on the high seas....

 

They will be following Mayor Bloomberg's ideology and measuring your food portions....they will say it is in an effort to control obesity..but we well know it will just be a money saving scam for them.

 

btw...I would have said I was highly allergic to the sanitizer, pulled of some bottle of nothing water or whatever...and used it in front of her....and told her I had to use this very potent, prescription sanitizer that my doctor ordered.:D

[chengkp75]

Bleach (chlorine) is the only thing that will efficiently kill noro. Soap is not a disinfectant. What soap and water do is to loosen the surface tension between the outermost layer of skin cells (with their attached germs) from the next layer of dermis. Note the CDC report quoted says that hand washing REDUCES the virus, not kills it, because all you're doing is washing it down the drain.

 

If you are allergic to hand sanitizers, thorough hand washing is most effective. However, I would stay away from "ready to eat" foods (things not cooked) that can transmit the virus. The best example of transmission that most don't think about: someone contaminates the tongs at the buffet line, you touch the tongs and pick up the virus, but if you are using utensils to eat the food picked up with the tongs, you should be fine. If you picked up a hamburger bun with the tongs, and then touched the bun with your contaminated hands, you will ingest the virus. "Ready to eat" fruits and vegetables are all sterilized using a chlorine solutions before they are brought up to the galleys and restaurants, but bread that is handled after cooking, and that is served room temperature are serious transmission agents.

[cruzincurt]

Slightly off topic, but at the local college they had to take the hand sanitizer units out of the restrooms because the kiddos were stealing them, mixing with Koolaid and using for internal sanitation.:eek::rolleyes:

 

My DW caries a purse size pump bottle in her pocket that we use. Then we simply refill from the bigger bottle. Especially important to do something after visiting the casino, handling the chips and pushing slot machine buttons.

 

It's funny when the noro outbreaks on cruise ships are announced like it's the cruise lines fault. It was the sick person that got on that caused the problem who probably caught it on the airplane or bus armrests..

[rbrugler]

If I was behind you and saw you not using it, I would complain. For that reason, I strongly suggest that you bring your own and use it. Consider what just happened on that Royal ship.

[SissasMomE]

If I was behind you and saw you not using it, I would complain. For that reason, I strongly suggest that you bring your own and use it. Consider what just happened on that Royal ship.

 

:rolleyes:

[lambchoplady]

Thank you for all your replies. I never use hand sanitizer. I just wash my hands well and am very careful about exiting public restrooms - using a towel or a piece of clothing to open the door etc. So, I will continue that way unless it becomes an issue, in which case, I will explain the allergy issue, and give in if they push it.

[Crusin6]

Thank you for all your replies. I never use hand sanitizer. I just wash my hands well and am very careful about exiting public restrooms - using a towel or a piece of clothing to open the door etc. So, I will continue that way unless it becomes an issue, in which case, I will explain the allergy issue, and give in if they push it.

exactly!

[DMLyons]

I don't know if this is fleetwide, but the pictures I saw had the Purell symbol on the globe. That would be an alcohol-based one. It CAN contain aloe, but not all do. I tend to bring along packets of hand sanitizer or sanitizing wipes I know I'm not allergic to to avoid these problems.

 

And yes...you can show them you have your own or tell them you just washed hands in the cabin and refuse theirs, especially if you tell them you are allergic to some products.

 

DML

[soccersharon]

Hand sanitizers do not get rid of Noro on hands - good ole soap and water works best. Oh, and avoid touching your mouth, nose, or eyes in between. I know, sounds nuts - but a few precautions go a long way.

[Love my butler]

If I was behind you and saw you not using it, I would complain. For that reason, I strongly suggest that you bring your own and use it. Consider what just happened on that Royal ship.

 

If I was behind you and saw you using it, I would complain that you didn't wash your hands after the using the restroom. Reasonable assumption no?

[punkincc]

Does anyone know what ingredients are in the Hand Sanitizer? Specifically, does it contain aloe or an anti-bacterial like neomycin? I am allergic to many hand sanitizers and need to balance the risk of severe skin reactions and subsequent infections vs. the risk of norovirus.

 

Antibiotics like neomycin are applied topically or taken orally to treat bacterial infections. The stomach bugs like the Noro are viruses. Antibiotics have no effect on them.

 

Hand washing with soap and water and alcohol based gels are about all you can do to avoid viruses. If you are allergic to the gels or sprays, let them know, but there are no antibiotics in them.

[lambchoplady]

Antibiotics like neomycin are applied topically or taken orally to treat bacterial infections. The stomach bugs like the Noro are viruses. Antibiotics have no effect on them.

 

Hand washing with soap and water and alcohol based gels are about all you can do to avoid viruses. If you are allergic to the gels or sprays, let them know, but there are no antibiotics in them.

 

I understand that antibiotics don't affect viruses. But, an awful lot of products now contain anti-bacterial ingredients (why? is another issue). Until I tested positive for the neomycin allergy, I never realized how many soaps, etc are "anti-bacterial".

[NormanW]

http://www.gojo.com/Canada/Brands/PURELL/~/media/GOJO/Products/MSDS/US%20Canada/English/PURELLInstantHandSanitizer_05040.pdf

 

Cheers,

 

Norman

 

p.s. if you want to know what's in just about anything you use Google it's trade name + MSDS (short for Material Data Safety Sheet).

[2Oregonians]

 

p.s. if you want to know what's in just about anything you use Google it's trade name + MSDS (short for Material Data Safety Sheet).

Wouldn't it be MDSS? ;)

[2Oregonians]

On the Jewel, I had just washed my hands(I am a nurse, so I know how to wash my hands!), explained to the host in the Blue Lagoon that I had just washed my hands, and she would not allow me to enter if I did not use the hand wash gel. I went back and forth, and eventually my DH said just do the gel and she finally let me in. At this venue, it was mandatory for me. I personally do like hand wash gels, but I understand their policy to prevent illness outbreaks.

Go to youtube and enter "washy washy happy happy" and it will bring up numerous videos. In those videos (I watched 4 of them) you can see people walking right past the washy washy person and not a thing was said. Most people accepted the spritz, but a few did not. It did not appear that anyone was forced to take it, or even questioned about not taking it.