Hand disinfectant

Details Hand disinfectant Hand disinfectant

1998-08-31

2000-06-27

Clardy, S. Mark

Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions

Preparations characterized by special physical form

Biocides; animal or insect repellents or attractants

424400, 424616, 514706, 514709, 514714, A01N 2500, A01N 3100, A01N 4110, A61K 31075

Patent

active

060804173

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
Hand disinfectants containing one or more lower alcohols, such as ethanol, isopropanol or n-propanol, are widely known. As a rule, they are aqueous solutions with an alcohol content of 70 to 80 weight %, and optionally other compounds that have microbicidal action are added. These known hand disinfectants meet the requirements, formulated by DGHM, for the germicidal effect against bacteria, including mycobacteria, and fungi.
Increasingly, the viral effectiveness of hand disinfectants based on alcohol has lately been discussed. Their virus inactivation, particularly against highly resistant types of virus, such as polio, does not meet all demands; for instance, it is known that polio viruses for instance can be inactivated only with a very high percentage of ethanol, and so the usual concentration of between about 70 and 80 weight % is not adequate for this purpose. Hence hand disinfectants based on 90 to 95 weight % ethanol are already on the market. Although these disinfectants meet the demands for virus inactivation made by the DVV, they have some decisive disadvantages. The most important disadvantage is that the flash point of such mixtures with a high ethanol content is below 21.degree. C., which makes the preparations subject to the Code on Flammable Liquids in hazard class B1, and special regulations must be obeyed regarding shipping, storage, bottling, and the like. This is a particular burden for hospitals and large medical practices, because large quantities of disinfectants are needed, and in general the supply rooms of the applicable institution are not set up for storing relatively large quantities of flammable liquids. Another disadvantage is that disinfectants with such a high alcohol content, when used for disinfecting hands, dry the skin to an extraordinary degree, with all the attendant, well-known side effects.
There is therefore still an urgent need for hand disinfectants with good virus inactivation effectiveness even for known resistant types of virus, but which do not come under hazard class B1 of the Code on Flammable Liquids and which moreover are readily tolerated.
To attain this object, hand disinfectants on the basis of lower alcohols are proposed, which are characterized in that they contain lower alcohols together with synergists in an aqueous solution and have a flash point above 21.degree. C.
Surprisingly, it has been found that instead of the previously conventional high-percentage ethanol solutions for viricidal hand disinfection, preparations that have a substantially lower alcohol content in the form of lower alcohols can also be used, if they contain mixtures of synergists that promote the viricidal action or virus inactivation of the alcohols, and hence mixtures can be prepared that are no longer in hazard class B1 of the Code on Flammable Liquids. Those whose use is preferred are the lower alcohols, that is, ethanol, isopropanol or n-propanol, which in high concentration have flash points below 21.degree. C., but which are preferably used in such an aqueous solution that the total alcohol content is between about 50 and 60 volume %.
To increase the viricidal or virus-inactivating action, diols are used, specifically preferably those with a chain length of from 3 to 5 carbon atoms. Propanediols are especially suitable, and both positional isomers, that is, 1,2-propanediol and 1,3-propanediol can be used. 1,2-Propanediol is considered safe, although recent studies have indicated that the toxicity may be somewhat higher than in the 1,2-isomer. Along with the propanediols, butanediols can also be considered, and specifically all the positional isomers, but 1,3-butanediol is preferred, because the most toxicological data is available for it.
The diols have a certain bacteriostatic action, and moreover they are used in the foods industry against fungi, for example, and especially against yeasts. The concentration of the diols may be low and ranges from about 3 to about 10 volume Besides the diols, other additives can also be considered, specifically hydrogen peroxide in a 1

REFERENCES:
patent: 4900721 (1990-02-01), Bansemir et al.
patent: 5043357 (1991-08-01), Hoffler et al.
patent: 5122541 (1992-06-01), Eggensperger et al.
patent: 5213803 (1993-05-01), Pollock
patent: 5411598 (1995-05-01), Tsao
patent: 5591442 (1997-01-01), Diehl et al.
International Search Report, PCT/EP 97/00417, May 15, 1997.

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