Republic of the Philippines

ST. RAPHAEL ACADEMY

Augustinian Recollect Sisters

Cor, Aguinaldo & Don Buenaventura De Erquiga Sts.

Legazpi City

Baking Soda as an Alternative Hand Sanitizer for Sweaty Palms

 Chapter 1

Introduction

Hand Sanitizer is a necessity nowadays, and there are many kinds of hand

sanitizer that are being produced today. And there are chances that we can’t rely on the

cleanliness of the water everywhere we go. People who take care of themselves always

wants the best for their health and those type of person use alcohol and hand sanitizers

to wash their hands. There is no one who doesn’t have sweaty hands; everyone can

experience it. Neither does anyone have to feel embarrassed for having sweaty palms,

and also be afraid to grab someone else’s hand. Nevertheless, many people find it

embarrassing to have, mostly for people in business and in politics. It can make us

afraid, conscious, and embarrassed. Recently a new UCLA study in the February issue

of the Journal of Vascular Surgery shows a strong evidence that the sweaty palms

syndrome is acquirable genetically. It may be caused by a dominant gene, and it was

indicated that family members of those who have the disorder may suffer from it more

than has been previously reported. "Traditionally, this syndrome was thought of as

stress-related and has not been taken seriously by the medical community," said Dr.

Samuel S. Ahn, principal investigator and professor, UCLA Division of Vascular

Surgery.[1]

"This is one of the first studies helping to support that 'sweaty palms' is a real

physiological disorder that can be passed from generation to generation. Hyperhidrosis

can truly affect one's life and career, such as a police officer dropping a gun and having

a suspect literally slip away, or a fireman not being able to pull a hose or a banker

unable to handle money due to severely sweating palms," Ahn said. [1] Alcohol-based
hand sanitizer is more convenient compared to hand washing with soap and water in

most situations in the healthcare setting. It is generally more effective at killing

microorganisms and better tolerated than soap and water. [2] Hand washing should still

be carried out if contamination can be seen or following the use of the toilet. [3] Hand

sanitizer that contains at least 60 % alcohol or contains a "persistent antiseptic" should

be used.[16][17] Alcohol rubs kill many different kinds of bacteria, including antibiotic

resistant bacteria and TB bacteria. 90% alcohol rubs are highly flammable, but kill many

kinds of viruses, including enveloped viruses such as the flu virus, the common cold

virus, and HIV, though is notably ineffective against the rabies virus. [18][19][20]

90% alcohol rubs are more effective against viruses than most other forms of hand

washing.[21] Isopropyl alcohol will kill 99.99 % or more of all non-spore forming bacteria

in less than 30 seconds, both in the laboratory and on human skin. [16][22]

The alcohol in hand sanitizers may not have the 10–15 seconds exposure time

required to denature proteins and lyse cells in too low quantities (0.3 ml) or

concentrations (below 60%).[4] In environments with high lipids or protein waste (such as

food processing), the use of alcohol hand rubs alone may not be sufficient to ensure

proper hand hygiene.[4]For health care settings like hospitals and clinics, optimum

alcohol concentration to kill bacteria is 70% to 95%. [23][24] Products with alcohol

concentrations as low as 40% are available in American stores, according to

researchers at East Tennessee State University.

Alcohol-based versions typically contain some combination of isopropyl alcohol,

ethanol (ethyl alcohol), or n-propanol. [4] Versions that contain 60 to 95% alcohol are

most effective.[4] Care should be taken as they are flammable. [3] Alcohol-based hand
sanitizer works against a variety of microorganisms but not spores. [4] Some versions

contain compounds such as glycerol to prevent drying of the skin. [4] Non-alcohol based

versions may contain benzalkonium chloride or triclosan. [8][9]

Alcohol has been used as an antiseptic at least as early as 1363 with evidence to

support its use becoming available in the late 1800s. [10] Alcohol-based hand sanitizer

has been commonly used in Europe since at least the 1980s. [11] The alcohol-based

version is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the safest and

most effective medicines needed in a health system. [12] The wholesale cost in the

developing world is about US$1.40–3.70 per liter bottle. Agencies such as the World

Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention promote

the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers over alcohol-free products.2,15,16 Indeed, the

use of alcohol-free products has remained limited, in part because of WHO’s and CDC’s

focus on alcohol-based products but also because of concerns about the safety of

chemicals used in alcohol-free products. Research has indicated that certain

antimicrobial compounds, such as triclosan, for example, may interfere with the function

of the endocrine system.17 Environmental contamination from triclosan is another

concern.18 Disinfectants and antimicrobials also can potentially contribute to the

development of antimicrobial resistance.1,7,15 In 2014, mounting concerns over

triclosan led authorities in the European Union (EU) to restrict the chemical’s use in

various consumer products in the EU.

The effectiveness of hand sanitizer depends on multiple factors, including the manner in

which the product is applied (e.g., quantity used, duration of exposure, frequency of

use) and whether the specific infectious agents present on the person’s hands are
susceptible to the active ingredient in the product.1,3,5 In general, alcohol-based hand

sanitizers, if rubbed thoroughly over finger and hand surfaces for a period of 30

seconds, followed by complete air-drying, can effectively reduce populations of bacteria,

fungi, and some enveloped viruses (e.g., influenza A viruses).1,6,9 Similar effects have

been reported for certain alcohol-free formulations, such as SAB (surfactant, allantoin,

and BAC) hand sanitizer.1,3,8 Most hand sanitizers, however, are relatively ineffective

against bacterial spores, nonenveloped viruses (e.g., norovirus), and encysted parasites

(e.g., Giardia). They also do not fully cleanse or sanitize the skin when hands are

noticeably soiled prior to application. Hand sanitizer is a liquid generally used to

decrease infectious agents on the hands. Formulations of the alcohol-based type are

preferable to hand washing with soap and water in most situations in the healthcare

setting. It is generally more effective at killing microorganisms and better tolerated than

soap and water. And one of the most important scientific reason and religious belief is to

wash hands before eating the meals. This is to avoid the unwanted and undesirable

microorganism to enter the body and cause infectious diseases.

Statement of the Problem

1. Can this hand sanitizer help people from preventing the cause of sweaty

hands?

2. What are the ingredients of this Hand Sanitizer?

3. Is this product safe and effective?

Significance of the Study

 This study will benefit the following:

Community. this study will help the community to have knowledge on

advantages and uses of this product.

DOH. the result of this study will help them to develop and improvise the product

for the study.

Employees. this study will give them a protection from viruses.

Consumers. this study will benefit the consumers in order to prevent illness.

Future Researchers. this study will serve as a guide for the future researchers.

Scope and Delimitation

This study will be conducted at St. Raphael Academy. This coverage and limit of

this study will be focusing on the chosen Grade 8 and 9 students of the Junior High

School. The study will be focusing on the effectiveness of the hand sanitizer to the ones

that has sweaty hands.

The researchers will focus on the effectiveness and results of the hand sanitizer,

and the researchers expects that this study will have a successful result so that it can

help others.

Definition of Terms:

Hyperhidrosis also known as polyhidrosis or sudorrhea, is a condition

characterized by excessive sweating. The sweating can affect just one specific area or

the whole body.

Notes:

1. https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2002-02/uoc--usf022802.php