Can alcohol-based hand-rub solutions cause you to lose your driver's license? Comparative cutaneous absorption of various alcohols

T L Brown, S Gamon, P Tester, Rhea Martin, K Hosking, G C Bowkett, Dimitri Gerostamoulos, Michael Lindsay Grayson

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Abstract

We assessed cutaneous ethanol (ETOH) and isopropanol (ISOP) absorption after intensive (30 times per h) use of alcohol-based hand-rub solutions by healthcare workers (HCWs). ETOH was detectable in the breath of 6/20 HCWs (0.001 to 0.0025 ) at 1 to 2 min postexposure and in the serum of 2/20 HCWs at 5 to 7 min postexposure. Serum ISOP levels were unrecordable at all time points.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1107 - 1108
Number of pages2
JournalAntimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
Volume51
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2007

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