Hand gel antimicrobial efficacy

Alcohol-based hand gels should not replace alcohol-based liquid hand disinfectants used in hospitals, Axel Kramer et al., University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany, conclude. Study comparing antimicrobial efficacy of 10 hand gels and four rinses against reference alcohol (2-propanol) was published in The Lancet April 17. Study finds that no gels met European standards EN 1500 for killing E.coli bacteria within 30 seconds of application, while all four rinses did. Mean microbial reduction factors of the gels were 2-13 to 4-09, while those of the rinses ranged from 4-26 to 4-88. Test involved 15 subjects, eight using tested product and seven who used reference alcohol, study says...