Outdated Alcohol Based Hand Cleaners

Alcohol hand-gel should be ‘a thing of the past’. Healthcare experts gathered in Harrogate last week for a conference hosted by the Infection Prevention Society, the leading medical conference in the field of infection control.

Groundbreaking research was presented to the conference that suggests alcohol-based hand cleaners are no longer the most effective first line of defence in infection prevention. Alcohol-based hand gels have several
significant drawbacks, which have led manufacturers to invest heavily in finding a safer, easier and more effective hand sanitiser.

One such manufacturer is Manchester-based Byotrol, who have set themselves the task of leading a hygiene revolution. Byotrol hand-foam, based on new micro-polymer technology, has been proven to demonstrate superior protection against the swine flu virus, and is unique as it delivers long lasting anti microbial protection compared to alcohol based products which stop working as soon as they dry.

Byotrol’s micro-polymer technology forms an invisible protective layer on any surface, be it human hands or a hospital floor. Independent laboratory tests have demonstrated Byotrol’s effectiveness in killing the swine flu virus and have also shown that Byotrol kills viruses for at least 17 hours after application to hard surfaces - unlike conventional disinfectants which stop working when dry.

An 11-month study at the Manchester Royal Infirmary, which was widely reported in late June, showed that Byotrol was 30% more effective than conventional cleaners in reducing the superbugs MRSA and C-Difficile. Similar tests at Monroe Hospital in Indiana, America, have resulted in there being no cases of MRSA or C-Difficile for over three years since Byotrol became their standard cleaning product.