Hand Sanitizers Vs Plant Growth
Hand Sanitizers: Also called hand antiseptic, handrub, or
hand rub, agent applied to the hands for the purpose of removing common
pathogens (disease-causing organisms).
Depending on the active ingredient used, hand sanitizers can
be classified in to two types: alcohol-based or alcohol-free. Alcohol-based
products typically contain between 60 and 95 percent alcohol, usually in the
form of ethanol, isopropanol, or n-propanol. At those concentrations, alcohol
immediately denatures proteins, effectively neutralizing certain types of
microorganisms. Alcohol-free products are generally based on disinfectants,
such as benzalkonium chloride (BAC), or on antimicrobial agents, such as
triclosan. The activity of disinfectants and antimicrobial agents is both
immediate and persistent.
Alcohol based products contains ethanol or ethyl alcohol (C2H5OH), when applied alcohol based sanitizer ethanol gets
evaporated and gets reacted with atmospheric hydroxyl radical and produce
acetaldehyde which is
the primary sink for atmospheric ethanol, thereby potentially contributing to
ozone and smog formation including peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN).
Study demonstrates that the rainwater concentrations of
ethanol have risen due to increased production and use of ethanol as a biofuel.
As per the current COVID situations, the production of ethanol from individual
person is also added to the industrial ethanol pollution. Rainwater and gas
phase ethanol concentrations increased approximately fourfold between 2010 and
2017 in Wilmington, NC, USA
Volume-weighted annual average rainwater
concentration and standard deviations for ethanol in nM vs. year for rainwater
collected in Wilmington, NC, USA. The year 2010 contains summer data only
(n = 11). The Mann−Kendall Trend Analysis for these data is significant at
p = 0.043; the regression line shown has R = 0.8678 and p < 0.01 for n = 8
Volume-weighted annual average rainwater
concentration of ethanol in nM with standard deviations for rainwater collected
in Wilmington, NC, USA between 2010 and 2017 vs. billions of km driven by
vehicles in North Carolina, USA, per year over the same time frame. For the
regression line, R = 0.9517, n = 8 and p < 0.001