Answer 1:
Hand gel isn't likely to kill viruses. First it's useful to note that viruses aren't really 'alive' in the sense that they grow and reproduce in the context we're used to thinking of. They need a host to insert their DNA into in order to reproduce and can essentially wait forever, without food or water, until the opportunity to infect a host presents itself. Instead of investing their resources in traditional modes of life, they invest their resources in extra strong proteins to protect them. Think of wearing a thick down coat vs. a windbreaker in freezing weather; they're both coats, but they have different jobs, the down coat was likely more expensive and keeps you warmer, but if you don't live in the cold then you don't really need to buy one. Ethanol may be able to do some damage to the protein coat of a virus, but will not penetrate, thus 'kill' a virus. Other solutions can kill viruses (e.g. straight bleach) but they would also likely do damage to your skin if used regularly, so not a good candidate for a hand gel type application. Best, |
