Development of an effective alcohol-free hand rub

Many community and health-care associated infections are preventable through good hand hygiene i.e. cleaning hands at the right times and in the right way with the most suitable method. Indeed enhanced hand hygiene has been a key part of the government strategy to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.

The optimum method of maintaining good hand hygiene is through use of soap and hot running water. However, this is not always possible, practical or convenient. This has led to a surge in the use of alcohol based hand rubs (ABHRs).

ABHRs are not produced using standard ingredients nor do they have a standard / declared strength, despite a minimum 65% concentration being required for them to be effective. In addition these products rarely have usage instructions on the label, despite the fact that BSEN 1500 states that 6 ml (2 washes with 3ml each time) is the necessary dose. Different alcohols have a varying spectrum of target organisms and not all alcohols are effective against all pathogens. ABHRs can cause drying / cracking of hands and can sting if applied to broken skin. In addition they are flammable and can cause harm if ingested. They are not safe to use in all environments (eg primary schools, dementia care settings) and are not acceptable to people of certain faiths.

This project focusses on creating a convenient and efficacious hand rub based on hypochlorous acid. Hypochlorous acid is produced by the mammalian body in response to pathogen attack. It is a fast acting and safe biocide which is effective against a wide range of pathogens (bacteria, viruses, yeasts, moulds, protozoa, spores). It is already used in the healthcare sector in liquid form (hard surface disinfection and hand sanitation) however professional users and consumers alike are used to gels and are hesitant to use non-gel formulations. This project will identify a suitable gel base to formulate a hand rub containing hypochlorous acid whilst maintaining the superior efficacy of the hypochlorous acid compared to alcohol as a biocide. It will look at optimal dose rate and rub time. The end result will be a safe, broad-spectrum efficacious hand rub that possesses all the convenience attributes of an ABHR without the disadvantages. The labelling would be designed to make it clear how much should be used to comply with the requirements of BSEN 1500 and the packaging would have a simple use mechanism to dispense that volume.