Explainer : Which are the 2 WHO-recommended hand sanitiser formulations?

Hyderabad: With personal hygiene and cleanliness being stressed as a measure to check the spread of Covid-19, the demand for hand sanitisers and hand rub formulations has gone up. However, not many are aware of the recommendations by WHO on hand sanitisers and hand rub formulations. Let us take a look at the standards prescribed by the WHO for sanitisers.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has prescribed two standard formulations for hand sanitisers. The first one refers to Ethanol 80 per cent (v/v), Glycerol 1.45 per cent (v/v) and Hydrogen peroxide 0.125 per cent, where v/v stands for volume.

The second formulation consists of Isopropyl alcohol 75 per cent (v/v), glycerol 1.45 per cent (v/v) and Hydrogen peroxide 0.125 per cent (v/v).

The WHO also released a document specifying how local production of hand sanitisers can be done.

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The WHO has clarified that this is equivalent to CDC (Centre for Disease Control) formulations, which stares that 60 per cent ethanol or 70 per cent isopropanol, but measured in weight (w/w). Both the formulations are acceptable standards for hand sanitisers.

This means that while checking for hand sanitisers, the standards to be maintained for formulations are ethanol (80% v/v or 60% w/w) or isopropyl alcohol (75% v/v or 70% w/w).