Germophobes Beware, The FDA Calls Into Question The Effectiveness Of Hand Sanitizer

Hand sanitizers kills 99.9 percent of germs and is effective in promoting health and wellness, right? Perhaps if this claim were true the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wouldn't find it necessary to initiate a probe and ask for new studies on its effectiveness.

The Associated Press reported on Wednesday that the federal health officials is requesting from companies that manufacture and sell hand sanitizers studies on how the antiseptic gels and rubs fight germs and get absorbed into the body.

The FDA is undergoing a new initiative to review decades-old chemicals that have never had a comprehensive review by a federal agency. The agency did confirm that has no reason to believe at this time that the products are ineffective or unsafe.

Ninety (90) percent of sanitizers sold to the public, including at schools and other public spaces, contain either ethanol or ethyl alcohol.

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"We're not trying to alarm people," said Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA's drug center. "Obviously ethanol and humans have co-existed for a long time, so there's a lot that's known about it."

Nevertheless, the agency has concerns over the long-lasting consequences, if any, of frequent use by children and women of child-bearing age.

Companies will have a full year to submit relevant information to the FDA and will take comments on its proposal for six months before finalizing it.