Benzethonium Chloride

[lathamary]

Since there have been a lot of Norovirus (stomach bug) outbreaks, at Disney and elsewhere, I thought I'd post about hand sanitizers.

Alchohol based hand sanitizers do not kill Norovirus. They'll spread it around on your hands nicely, but that's it.

To protect yourself from Norovirus, the best thing to do is wash your hands with soap thoroughly for 20 seconds. This literally washes the virus off of your skin and down the drain.

Some hand sanitizers contain Benzethonium Chloride, which will kill Norovirus. Wet Ones Antibacterial Wipes contain Benzethonium Chloride, so they are probably the best thing to carry with you at Disney, since they will actually kill the virus and probably wipe it from your skin as well.

The thing with Norovirus is that it is only spread through vomit and feces. It is not airborne. It can be present in feces for two weeks after the onset of the illness. The bottom line:

if everyone washed their hands after pooping, we wouldn't see the mass outbreaks like we do.

Wash your hands, people! If you can't, find some Benzethonium Chloride.

 

[khanna]

I buy the Foam Germ X at Walmart with this active ingredient in it--it is $2.47 per bottle which is WELL worth it to me. Also, I buy the WetOnes! I did a lot of reserach last year when the Norovirus hit South Carolina-I was SHOCKED to find out Chlorox wipes do not kill Noro. I emailed Chlorox to ask--and they stated that unfortunately it does not kill it. I did not know that about alcohol based hand sanitizers--I thought it did kill it. I need to go back and look that up. Thanks for this reminder though!!!

 

[lathamary]

Hey, whatever I can do to help keep people healthy at Disney

 

[LuLuO]

.....Alchohol based hand sanitizers do not kill Norovirus. They'll spread it around on your hands nicely, but that's it.

.....The thing with Norovirus is that it is only spread through vomit and feces. It is not airborne. It can be present in feces for two weeks after the onset of the illness. The bottom line:

if everyone washed their hands after pooping, we wouldn't see the mass outbreaks like we do.

Wash your hands, people! If you can't, find some Benzethonium Chloride.

A great reason for people to not use regular old hand sanitizer after using the restroom in place of good hand washing.

 

[CandleontheWater]

Thanks so much for this info! I am going to go to Walmart and look for the handsanitizer that you mentioned.

Since you seem to know something about the Norovirus, my son got the oral vaccine against Norovirus, can adults get the vaccine as well? I meant to ask when I took him in to get the dose, but it was really busy and I was distracted. I have never been offered it, but if I could get it, it would seem like a good thing to get if you frequent the Disney parks.

 

[lathamary]

Since you seem to know something about the Norovirus, my son got the oral vaccine against Norovirus, can adults get the vaccine as well? I meant to ask when I took him in to get the dose, but it was really busy and I was distracted. I have never been offered it, but if I could get it, it would seem like a good thing to get if you frequent the Disney parks.

You're probably thinking or Rotovirus, which I believe is in the same family as Norovirus. With Rotovirus, it's one of those things that you only get once, and then you're immune. That's why they have a vaccine for it now. My older son had to go through it, but my two year old got the vaccine

The reason I know so much about Norovirus is because I suffer from emetophobia and I'm obsessed with preventing it

 

[CandleontheWater]

Yes, I think you're right! I'm sorry, I'm not really that up on the names of illnesses and such. I remember thinking about it when DS got the vaccine that it would protect him against picking things up at Disney and on cruise ships, but you can also get norovirus in those environments as well.

Thanks for the clarification!

 

[Mrs. Charming]

Be extra careful if you're going soon, DD and I got a *nasty* bug down there-- not sure what it was exactly, but I think it's the sickest I've ever ever been. Be extra vigilant! (I thought we were, but apparently we weren't)

 

[southern_redhead]

Thanks for posting this. I actually did know it (I have the same phobia as you ) but it seems to be something that isn't really being told to people. We could cut back illness SO MUCH if people went back to hand washing. We actually have some teachers at our school that do not allow students to wash their hands, they keep a bottle of hand sanitizer at the door. It's worth noting that our school has a HUGE problem with stomach viruses. I even went to our principal and told her that hand sanitizer did not kill the virus, they had to wash their hands, and she told me "Well..." That was IT And, yes, they are *still* using the sanitizers and refusing to let the kids wash their hands (not all classrooms but a majority.) Apparently, "it takes too long" for kids to hand wash

And, Mrs. Darling, it may not matter how vigilant you are. Unfortunately, if the general population is NOT vigilant you are going to be exposed

 

[halikatak]

Thanks for the info!
A good way to get kids to wash their hands for that long is to sing the abc's while doing it! Then rinse at the end!

 

[bumbershoot]

. With Rotovirus, it's one of those things that you only get once, and then you're immune.

Except that my son got it twice. Thank goodness for nursing, I didn't worry a minute about his hydration levels; worried about mine, but not his, either time.

Anyway, has nothing to do with noro, but rota can happen more than once.

 

[pookersmom]

Thanks for the info! Our whole family got norovirus from each other (while not airborne, it survives a long time on an infected person, so basically you can pick it up just by being in the same house as them, which is how we got it) over a big Thanksgiving reunion a few years back and it was a nightmare. So foul. Would hate to ever get it again, let alone on vacation...

 

[SueM in MN]

As an RN Specializing in Infection Prevention and Control, I want to clarify some things about Norovirus and prevention of transmission.

Norovirus is spread by contact with vomit or feces, by contact with items contaminated by Norovirus, by eating or drinking when hands are contaminated, by eating contaminated food or drink (fecal-oral route). It can also be spread by droplets from vomitus that get into the air when someone vomits. Not the same as airborne - droplets are larger particles that are in the air for only a few feet because they are relatively heavy. Airborne particles stay suspended and are carried around by air currents because they are relatively light.
Norovirus can also be spread by swimming in contaminated swimming pools.

It is so easily spread because it takes as few as 100 particles of Norovirus to make someone ill. That amount can easily get under someone's fingernails or around their nails.

Most of the information on the internet that says alcohol is not effective and Benzethonium Chloride should be used is not backed up by studies and is often from the companies that make the Benzethonium Chloride products.
Benzethonium Chloride has the same problem for sanitizing hands that alcohol has - they do not work well when the hands are visibly soiled or soiled with a lot of protein containing material (like poop or vomit).
62% Ethanol alcohol based hand sanitizers are recommended by the CDC for Norovirus prevention (with hand washing as first choice).

This is from the US Government's Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) information page about Norovirus on cruise ships.
"How to prevent getting and spreading noroviruses

* Wash hands often. Wash hands after using the bathroom or changing diapers and before eating or preparing food. Wash hands more often when someone in your home is sick. For hand washing tips, click on the following link: www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/pub/Handwashing/HandwashingTips.htm
* Avoid shaking hands during outbreaks.
* Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer along with handwashing."

And from the CDC Hand Hygiene hints webpage:

"What about alcohol-based hand sanitizers?

* CDC recommends that cruise ship passengers use warm water and soap to wash their hands. Washing is always best.
* If water and soap are NOT available (perhaps on excursions), use an ethanol alcohol-based (a minimum 62%) hand sanitizer, preferably in a gel form."


Benzethonium Chloride is not usually used as a skin antiseptic in hospitals because it has not been found in the past to be very effective against gram negative bacteria, which are common in hospitals. There have also been some hospital situations where bottles of became contaminated with those types of bacteria.

Love my foam Germ X with Benzo Chloride!
I buy the Foam Germ X at Walmart with this active ingredient in it--it is $2.47 per bottle which is WELL worth it to me. Also, I buy the WetOnes! I did a lot of reserach last year when the Norovirus hit South Carolina-I was SHOCKED to find out Chlorox wipes do not kill Noro. I emailed Chlorox to ask--and they stated that unfortunately it does not kill it. I did not know that about alcohol based hand sanitizers--I thought it did kill it. I need to go back and look that up. Thanks for this reminder though!!!

Bleach is the recommended disinfectant to use for surfaces in Norovirus outbreaks. Quote from the CDC Foodhandler's Guide on Norovirus:
"Clean and disinfect contaminated surfaces: After an episode of illness, such as vomiting or diarrhea, immediately clean, disinfect, and rinse contaminated surfaces. Use a chlorine bleach solution with a concentration of 1000–5000 ppm (5–25 tablespoons of household bleach [5.25%] per gallon of water)"

The Clorox disinfecting wipes don't have that high of a concentration of bleach. Hand sanitizers or disinfectants need to be spread around in order to kill germs and the hands or surfaces also need to stay wet long enough to for the chemical in them to kill the germs (about 30 seconds for alcohol, but up to 10 minutes for some other substances). Wipes (either hand wipes or surface disinfectant wipes) often are not wet enough to keep the surface damp long enough.

You won't find studies that say something can definately kill Norovirus. They can't because they don't use Norovirus for studies, they usually use feline calicivirus (FCV)—a virus that is related to norovirus. The reasons are that Norovirus is very hard to grow in test tubes or cultures, while feline calicivirus grows quite well. Another big advantage is that feline calicivirus causes illness in cats, but not in human (I would not want to be a researcher dealing with Norovirus, knowing how little of it can cause disease and that it can be caught again and again).

Although there are not studies that show bleach kills Norovirus, they know that outbreaks of Norovirus on cruise ships have been stopped after cleaning with a bleach solution in the right concentration, increased hand washing and increased use of alcohol based hand sanitizers.

 

[Tiger926]

As an RN Specializing in Infection Prevention and Control, I want to clarify some things about Norovirus and prevention of transmission.

Norovirus is spread by contact with vomit or feces, by contact with items contaminated by Norovirus, by eating or drinking when hands are contaminated, by eating contaminated food or drink (fecal-oral route). It can also be spread by droplets from vomitus that get into the air when someone vomits. Not the same as airborne - droplets are larger particles that are in the air for only a few feet because they are relatively heavy. Airborne particles stay suspended and are carried around by air currents because they are relatively light.
Norovirus can also be spread by swimming in contaminated swimming pools.

It is so easily spread because it takes as few as 100 particles of Norovirus to make someone ill. That amount can easily get under someone's fingernails or around their nails.

Most of the information on the internet that says alcohol is not effective and Benzethonium Chloride should be used is not backed up by studies and is often from the companies that make the Benzethonium Chloride products.
Benzethonium Chloride has the same problem for sanitizing hands that alcohol has - they do not work well when the hands are visibly soiled or soiled with a lot of protein containing material (like poop or vomit).
62% Ethanol alcohol based hand sanitizers are recommended by the CDC for Norovirus prevention (with hand washing as first choice).

This is from the US Government's Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) information page about Norovirus on cruise ships.
"How to prevent getting and spreading noroviruses

* Wash hands often. Wash hands after using the bathroom or changing diapers and before eating or preparing food. Wash hands more often when someone in your home is sick. For hand washing tips, click on the following link: www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/pub/Handwashing/HandwashingTips.htm
* Avoid shaking hands during outbreaks.
* Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer along with handwashing."

And from the CDC Hand Hygiene hints webpage:

"What about alcohol-based hand sanitizers?

* CDC recommends that cruise ship passengers use warm water and soap to wash their hands. Washing is always best.
* If water and soap are NOT available (perhaps on excursions), use an ethanol alcohol-based (a minimum 62%) hand sanitizer, preferably in a gel form."


Benzethonium Chloride is not usually used as a skin antiseptic in hospitals because it has not been found in the past to be very effective against gram negative bacteria, which are common in hospitals. There have also been some hospital situations where bottles of became contaminated with those types of bacteria.

Bleach is the recommended disinfectant to use for surfaces in Norovirus outbreaks. Quote from the CDC Foodhandler's Guide on Norovirus:
"Clean and disinfect contaminated surfaces: After an episode of illness, such as vomiting or diarrhea, immediately clean, disinfect, and rinse contaminated surfaces. Use a chlorine bleach solution with a concentration of 1000–5000 ppm (5–25 tablespoons of household bleach [5.25%] per gallon of water)"

The Clorox disinfecting wipes don't have that high of a concentration of bleach. Hand sanitizers or disinfectants need to be spread around in order to kill germs and the hands or surfaces also need to stay wet long enough to for the chemical in them to kill the germs (about 30 seconds for alcohol, but up to 10 minutes for some other substances). Wipes (either hand wipes or surface disinfectant wipes) often are not wet enough to keep the surface damp long enough.

You won't find studies that say something can definately kill Norovirus. They can't because they don't use Norovirus for studies, they usually use feline calicivirus (FCV)—a virus that is related to norovirus. The reasons are that Norovirus is very hard to grow in test tubes or cultures, while feline calicivirus grows quite well. Another big advantage is that feline calicivirus causes illness in cats, but not in human (I would not want to be a researcher dealing with Norovirus, knowing how little of it can cause disease and that it can be caught again and again).

Although there are not studies that show bleach kills Norovirus, they know that outbreaks of Norovirus on cruise ships have been stopped after cleaning with a bleach solution in the right concentration, increased hand washing and increased use of alcohol based hand sanitizers.

This is all great info.

I have done a lot of research as well - even contacted CDC, and it is my understanding, that the CDC has not spent really any money on studies of Benzethonium Chloride, and so because they don`t have studies to back up their efficacy, they must recommend alcohol based sanitizers. It doesn`t mean that alcohol is best to kill norovirus, it just means that they can`t recommend the other sanitizers because they haven`t studied them.

Maybe I`ve misunderstood, but I was under the impression that alcohol did not kill the Norovirus either.

Thanks for the info, as you are an expert in the field - much appreciate it!

Tiger

 

[jaminmd]

As an RN Specializing in Infection Prevention and Control, I want to clarify some things about Norovirus and prevention of transmission.

Norovirus is spread by contact with vomit or feces, by contact with items contaminated by Norovirus, by eating or drinking when hands are contaminated, by eating contaminated food or drink (fecal-oral route). It can also be spread by droplets from vomitus that get into the air when someone vomits. Not the same as airborne - droplets are larger particles that are in the air for only a few feet because they are relatively heavy. Airborne particles stay suspended and are carried around by air currents because they are relatively light.
Norovirus can also be spread by swimming in contaminated swimming pools.

It is so easily spread because it takes as few as 100 particles of Norovirus to make someone ill. That amount can easily get under someone's fingernails or around their nails.

Most of the information on the internet that says alcohol is not effective and Benzethonium Chloride should be used is not backed up by studies and is often from the companies that make the Benzethonium Chloride products.
Benzethonium Chloride has the same problem for sanitizing hands that alcohol has - they do not work well when the hands are visibly soiled or soiled with a lot of protein containing material (like poop or vomit).
62% Ethanol alcohol based hand sanitizers are recommended by the CDC for Norovirus prevention (with hand washing as first choice).

This is from the US Government's Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) information page about Norovirus on cruise ships.
"How to prevent getting and spreading noroviruses

* Wash hands often. Wash hands after using the bathroom or changing diapers and before eating or preparing food. Wash hands more often when someone in your home is sick. For hand washing tips, click on the following link: www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/pub/Handwashing/HandwashingTips.htm
* Avoid shaking hands during outbreaks.
* Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer along with handwashing."

And from the CDC Hand Hygiene hints webpage:

"What about alcohol-based hand sanitizers?

* CDC recommends that cruise ship passengers use warm water and soap to wash their hands. Washing is always best.
* If water and soap are NOT available (perhaps on excursions), use an ethanol alcohol-based (a minimum 62%) hand sanitizer, preferably in a gel form."


Benzethonium Chloride is not usually used as a skin antiseptic in hospitals because it has not been found in the past to be very effective against gram negative bacteria, which are common in hospitals. There have also been some hospital situations where bottles of became contaminated with those types of bacteria.

Bleach is the recommended disinfectant to use for surfaces in Norovirus outbreaks. Quote from the CDC Foodhandler's Guide on Norovirus:
"Clean and disinfect contaminated surfaces: After an episode of illness, such as vomiting or diarrhea, immediately clean, disinfect, and rinse contaminated surfaces. Use a chlorine bleach solution with a concentration of 1000–5000 ppm (5–25 tablespoons of household bleach [5.25%] per gallon of water)"

The Clorox disinfecting wipes don't have that high of a concentration of bleach. Hand sanitizers or disinfectants need to be spread around in order to kill germs and the hands or surfaces also need to stay wet long enough to for the chemical in them to kill the germs (about 30 seconds for alcohol, but up to 10 minutes for some other substances). Wipes (either hand wipes or surface disinfectant wipes) often are not wet enough to keep the surface damp long enough.

You won't find studies that say something can definately kill Norovirus. They can't because they don't use Norovirus for studies, they usually use feline calicivirus (FCV)—a virus that is related to norovirus. The reasons are that Norovirus is very hard to grow in test tubes or cultures, while feline calicivirus grows quite well. Another big advantage is that feline calicivirus causes illness in cats, but not in human (I would not want to be a researcher dealing with Norovirus, knowing how little of it can cause disease and that it can be caught again and again).

Although there are not studies that show bleach kills Norovirus, they know that outbreaks of Norovirus on cruise ships have been stopped after cleaning with a bleach solution in the right concentration, increased hand washing and increased use of alcohol based hand sanitizers.

I'm an ICP as well & the Clorox rep was recently in my office dropping off samples. Clorox wipes sold to the public no longer contain bleach. They're just like Lysol (I didn't look at the active ingredients).

Thanks for providing accurate information.

 

[Tanbellisima]

Since there have been a lot of Norovirus (stomach bug) outbreaks, at Disney and elsewhere, I thought I'd post about hand sanitizers.

Alchohol based hand sanitizers do not kill Norovirus. They'll spread it around on your hands nicely, but that's it.

To protect yourself from Norovirus, the best thing to do is wash your hands with soap thoroughly for 20 seconds. This literally washes the virus off of your skin and down the drain.

Some hand sanitizers contain Benzethonium Chloride, which will kill Norovirus. Wet Ones Antibacterial Wipes contain Benzethonium Chloride, so they are probably the best thing to carry with you at Disney, since they will actually kill the virus and probably wipe it from your skin as well.

The thing with Norovirus is that it is only spread through vomit and feces. It is not airborne. It can be present in feces for two weeks after the onset of the illness. The bottom line:

if everyone washed their hands after pooping, we wouldn't see the mass outbreaks like we do.

Wash your hands, people! If you can't, find some Benzethonium Chloride.

Thank you for this information. Really appreciate the time you took to do this for us. This will come in handy when we go in 01/11.

Merry Christmas!

 

[SueM in MN]

I'm an ICP as well & the Clorox rep was recently in my office dropping off samples. Clorox wipes sold to the public no longer contain bleach. They're just like Lysol (I didn't look at the active ingredients).

Thanks for providing accurate information.

Thanks for the information you added.
I knew the home version of Clorox wipes was not that strong, but could not find the active ingredient for the those. I know at one point they did have some bleach. My DH had recently bought some without bleach and I figured he just bought a different version.

 

[polkadotsuitcase]

Apart from the fact that I should have known better than to open this thread while eating (!), I appreciate everyone taking the time to offer this info -- hubby and I were just talking about this the other day. It's good info to know!

 

[disneypolybride2008]

i try my best to never eat with my fingers while out in public. However it cant always be avoided so I wash my hands before the food comes at restaurants. I never used to bother, just use sanitizer but i would like to avoid the chemicals and get a cleaner feeling.

 

[visitingapril09]

Hey, whatever I can do to help keep people healthy at Disney

Thank you for the good info.