As the public navigates the countermeasures to the pandemic, clear information on the viability of both 70% alcohol and alcohol-free hand sanitisers is vital for people to stay safe and healthy. This paper presents a side-by-side comparison of the science, standards and use cases of both 70% alcohol and alcohol-free hand sanitisers. This information aims to help consumers make informed decisions on the product(s) they choose to use to protect themselves in the ongoing fight against the virus. Key takeaways: Both 70% ethanol alcohol and alcohol-free hand sanitisers are safe and effective in the fight against coronavirus. Both 70% alcohol and alcohol-free hand sanitisers have passed identical, independently certified European Standard tests, including tests on skin. 70% alcohol hand sanitiser is the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended product and offers a faster virus kill time after application than alcohol-free sanitiser. Alcohol-free hand sanitiser offers longer protection against bacteria and viruses, so in certain circumstances where someone is exposed for an extended period, alcohol-free should be considered a superior option. A comparison between alcohol-free and 70% alcohol hand sanitisers Cleenol hand sanitisers: Cleenol offer both 70% alcohol and alcohol-free sanitizers Sidney W. Bondurant, Collette M. Duley, John W. Harbell (2019) Demonstrating the persistent antibacterial efficacy of a hand sanitizer containing benzalkonium chloride on human skin at 1, 2, and 4 hours after application. American Journal of Infection Control 47: 928–932 BS EN 1276 is a European Standard test method that evaluates the efficacy of a disinfectant against bacteria such as MRSA, Salmonella typhimurium, E. Coli, Enterococcus hirae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. BS EN 1500 is a European Standard test method, required by the NHS, that evaluates the efficacy of a hygienic handrub by measuring the number of viable bacteria remaining on the fingertips of human participants after contamination and handrub exposure BS EN 14476 is a European Standard test method that evaluates the efficacy of a disinfectant against enveloped viruses. Annex A of BS EN 14476 includes coronavirus in the examples of enveloped viruses. Contact information: Jonathan Cottrill Technical Managertechnical.enquiries@cleenol.co.uk

Cleenol's Safety Data Sheets (SDS) have all been updated to take account of recent changes in legislation, and in particular changes to hazard classifications and signs. Our statutory obligation to provide customers with SDS on hazardous products at or before the time of delivery will be satisfied by emailing the relevant data sheets at the time that orders are placed. Customers may also obtain data sheets upon request by emailing sales@cleenol.co.uk

Currently, the supply of hand sanitiser is very important to everyone to reduce the risk of the spread of coronavirus. With this in mind we understand it may be tempting to make excessive profits while demand for hand sanitiser increases day-by-day. Yet it is our responsibility to attempt to minimise this within our customer base. Therefore, we must duly advise that any Cleenol customer found to be profiteering from the coronavirus outbreak will be removed from our supply list. We all have a duty of care towards the community, particularly the elderly and the vulnerable, and this must be taken seriously. We are sure you will understand our strict approach to this issue: we feel it is our obligation to protect the vulnerable in our society and eliminate profiteering from a challenging issue. We thank you for your understanding at this time.

We have tested three of our products for efficacy against coronavirus and we are delighted that they are some of the first in the world to have been proven to stop the virus in its tracks. We have worked closely with a laboratory in Scotland where they have confirmed that the following products are now effective in killing enveloped viruses: Medisan 70% Alcohol Hand Sanitizing Gel, Alcohol Free Hand Sanitizer and Virabact Multi Surface Cleaners. Statement from Cleenol’s Managing Director, Sam Greaves:   “We have yet to see how coronavirus will progress. Meanwhile, thorough testing of our products against the virus has taken place and we are pleased to let our customers know these positive results against the EN 14476:2013 standard.”

The UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock has now released a statement outlining the Government’s position on the Coronavirus outbreak. The Government have stated that although the risk level to the general public is still classed as ‘moderate’ the UK faces a “serious and imminent threat”. During this statement, Matt Hancock described new powers that can forcibly quarantine people for their own safety, as an “effective means of delaying and preventing further transmission”.  Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside and Kents Hill Park Conference Centre in Milton Keynes have been designated as ‘isolation’ facilities. The last of the British nationals have been transported from China to Milton Keynes after arriving on a Government plane in Brize Norton on Sunday 9th February.  The official death toll has risen to over 1000, and the number of confirmed cases amongst British people has doubled to eight. More than 40,000 people have tested positive for this new strand of the virus, named 2019-nCoV, since the outbreak began in Wuhan, China in December. With the NHS stating that they are well-equipped to deal with a pandemic, following robust infection control measures, it is important that the public takes steps to protect themselves from infection. Here at Cleenol, we have worked diligently to provide information, resources and equipment to our customers, to allow them to supply the very latest protection against infectious diseases.   Cleenol's Managing Director, Sam Greaves, has released the following statement:  “Here at Cleenol, we pride ourselves on being flexible in times of need. With the increased global spread of the novel coronavirus we are now filling orders 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to support all our customers. With global sales high for these specific products, raw material and packaging are also in high demand. This is a great opportunity for all our customers to look at reusing their 500ml and 50ml bottles, reducing the amount of single use plastic in circulation. Please contact us for more information. Cleenol is dedicated to helping our clients provide solutions for their customers at this difficult time. As such, we have put together a range of products that are laboratory tested to be efficient against bacteria and viruses.”   We're here to help: If you require any specific help, information or guidance on our products, please call us on 01295 251721 and speak to our knowledgeable team.