Hygienic characteristics of ethanol for preventive use in skin antiseptics

Abstract

Aim – to study the ethyl alcohol 70% of the Lux brand in respect to its chemical and analytical quality, toxicological safety, microbial effectiveness and to assess its use in skin antiseptics. Material and methods. The studies were performed using organoleptic, physical, chemical, toxicological and microbial analysis in accordance with standard modern methods. Results. Ethyl alcohol 70% has chemical, analytical and microbial quality indicators that meet the requirements of the State Pharmacopeia of the Republic of Belarus. According to toxicological indicators, it belongs to class IV – lowhazard substances, with no irritating effect, which corresponds to the regulatory toxicological indicators of the safety of skin antiseptics. During the primary epicutaneous application on volunteers, it does not cause subjective and objective symptoms of sensitization; it belongs to substances that do not have an irritating effect and sensitizing ability. Standard test cultures and clinical strains of microorganisms are highly sensitive to ethyl alcohol 70% in a qualitative suspension test tube and micromethod without protein load and moderately sensitive in the diskdiffusion method with an exposure of 1 min. In relation to these microorganisms, the antimicrobial activity of ethyl alcohol 70% is above 99.999% and a reduction factor above 5 lg at exposure of 1 min in a quantitative suspension method without a protein load. Ethyl alcohol 70% is also characterized by a high efficiency of normal skin disinfection and E.coli contaminated skin of volunteers over 99% and a reduction factor above 2 lg and 4 lg, respectively. Conclusion. Ethyl alcohol 70% of the brand "Lux" is a highquality, toxicologically safe and microbial effective drug. It can be recommended for skin antisepsis of the injection field (class A), as well as hygienic hand antisepsis (class B) and antiseptic sanitization of the skin in the Republic of Belarus and Russian Federation.

Keywords

• ethyl alcohol 70% of the brand "lux"
• quality
• toxicological safety
• microbial efficiency
• antiseptics