What are hand sanitizers?

by cv | Jul 18, 2021 | handwash-hand-sanitisers

What are hand sanitisers?

When we visit any play area/park, you will notice a few mothers who will pull out their hand sanitisers when their child is done playing. This is a practice to eliminate germs caught on their skin. The idea is to keep the child healthier. We all know the benefits of hand washing which reduces the harmful germ transfer. Most of the times, there is no access to hand washing or the toilet is not clean. In these cases, the use of hand sanitisers is of great benefit. These hand sanitisers are not a replacement to hand washing but a habit which is complimentary.

Hand sanitisers can be classified as one of two types: alcohol-based or alcohol-free. Alcohol-based products typically contain between 60 and 95 percent alcohol. Hand sanitisers work by killing the microbial cells, the alcohol present is most effective in killing the germs.

How to use a hand sanitiser effectively, take a small amount (thumbnail size) on the palm of your hand and rub it over your entire hand, not to forget your nail beds. A simple check can be noticed, if the gel evaporates completely in under 15 seconds, enough of the sanitiser has not been used.

BENEFITS OF HAND SANITISERS

They are easy to use & apply, portable and very convenient
Studies have proven that the risk of spreading stomach and respiratory infection is decreased among families who use hand sanitisers.
Studies show that schools that have added hand sanitisers to classrooms can reduce students’ non-attendance due to illness by 20 percent. Children think it is fun to use them which is a bonus to their overall health quotient.

LIMITATIONS OF HAND SANITISERS

Not all hand sanitizers are created equally, the ingredients differ. The alcohol content maybe in the form of ethyl alcohol, ethanol or isopropanol. All of those are acceptable forms of alcohol. However, be certain the alcohol concentration is between 60 and 95 percent.If the alcohol content of less than 60 percent isn’t enough to be effective.
Hand sanitisers are not cleaning agents and are not meant as a replacement for soap and water, but as a complementary habit.
Alcohol can be very drying to the skin, so most brands of sanitisers also contain a moisturiser to minimise skin dryness and irritation.

Hand sanitisers were created for use after washing hands or for times when soap and water are not available. They are gels that contain alcohol to kill the germs that are transferred or on the skin. The alcohol works rapidly and effectively to kill bacteria and most harmful viruses.

The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.

TOP 4 TESTED LIQUID HAND-WASH IN INDIA

by cv | Jul 18, 2021 | handwash-hand-sanitisers

TOP 4 TESTED LIQUID HAND-WASH IN INDIA

Hand hygiene is the single most effective way to prevent coronavirus and various infections. Human skin provides a favourable environment for the existence and multiplication of a variety of microbes. The hands/skin come in contact with harmful bacteria/ germs while using common public places, public transport, polluted/contained environments, etc. Several products are available for hand hygiene: bar soap, liquid soap, gels, hand sanitisers and foams. The conventional toilet soap washes away the germs but does not kill them. Also, the soap itself can get contaminated with germs. Today, several hand-wash soaps are/claim to be antibacterial and at Consumer Voice we proceeded to test precisely this attribute with regard to liquid hand washes. We conducted antibacterial activity, ‘zone of inhibition’ and bacterial kill efficacy tests in the lab to judge the effectiveness of 10 liquid hand-wash brands in removal/ killing of microbes/germs.

Some of these liquid hand washes contain triclosan (TCN) or triclocarban (TCC), which are potent chemicals with antibacterial action. Generally, the antibacterial material is essentially of an aqueous solution of potassium soaps, sodium soaps, or both, made from oils, fatty acids or their mixture; it may be a homogeneous, clear, translucent or opaque liquid with good lathering and cleaning properties. It may also contain permissible synthetic detergents. They quickly form a rich lather while using with the water. The hand-wash liquid/antibacterial liquid Comparative Test material also generally contains perfumes for their acceptability among users.

Liquid hand-wash products are commonly known to be antibacterial/anti-germs. Most of the brands have declared their variants as providing protection from germs/killing germs/removing germs – this is clearly understood as being effective in fighting germs. In addition to antibacterial chemicals like TCC/TCN, some herbal ingredients are also equally effective in removing germs, as verified in the course of our laboratory tests. All the 10 brands were found to be effective in removing/killing germs.

TOP PERFORMERS

Non-Soap-based

Dettol

Soap-based

Hamam

Value For Money

Non-Soap-based

Bacter Shield

Soap-based

Patanjali

PERFORMANCE TESTS

Antibacterial performance tests – specifically for antibacterial activity, ‘zone of inhibition’ and bacterial ‘rate of kill’ efficacy on contact – were carried out to judge the effectiveness of the liquid hand wash in removing bacteria.

Antibacterial activity is determined by comparing the effectiveness of antibacterial chemicals present in a certain quantity of liquid hand wash with specified maximum inhibition concentration.

KEY FINDINGS

Based on the overall test findings, in the non-soap-based liquid hand-wash category Dettol is the top performer; in the soap-based category it is Hamam.
The value-for-money brands are Bacter Shield in the non-soap-based category and Patanjali in the soap-based category.
All the tested brands can be recommended as they are specifically formulated to remove germs from hands.
All brands passed in the efficacy tests for antibacterial activity, zone of inhibition and contact kill.
Foam height was high in soap-based hand wash as compared to the non-soap-based varieties.
All brands passed in the efficacy tests for antibacterial activity, zone of inhibition and contact kill.
Foam height was high in soap-based hand wash as compared to the non-soap-based varieties.
Antibacterial/germicidal ingredient triclosan was found highest in Bacter Shield and Savlon but was well below the specified limit.
Bacter Shield and Palmolive performed highest in sensory panel tests.
Only one brand, Patanjali Herbal, claimed to be antibacterial and the tests confirmed it to be so. The rest of the brands did not claim to be antibacterial but were found effective in killing germs.

LET’S FIGHT CORONAVIRUS WITH BETTER HYGIENE

(This report was done in the recent past by Consumer VOICE. )

The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.

Reaching the inaccessible

by cv | Jul 18, 2021 | Editorial

Reaching the inaccessible

Atul, a boy in grade 5 used to be a bright and talented student until the pandemic began. Due to the closure of schools, he like many of his friends were unable to continue classes and studies. His mother who used to work in a nearby shoe factory had to give up her job. His father, too, who used to sell vegetables lost out on daily earnings. This cumulatively impacted the livelihood of many families and affected many boys and girls alike Atul. Atul’s school, though, was adaptive enough to start sharing class notes and study materials on the smartphones. Atul and his family could not access such a smart education as we call it. So, he and some of his classmates were left out with the education system not providing any alternative umbrella beyond smartphones. Thus, here we see a large segment of deprived students. Some also just because of no internet connectivity.

Students who do not have access to any such digital medium through which they can continue their studies have lost out on their future to the pandemic, it seems. Atul’s life reality paints a picture altogether for lacs of rural and semi urban societies for whom free or subsidised education meant nothing as they couldn’t access it. That’s where our hearts cry out! Are we going to let a chunk of our population go uneducated?

Besides the rural – urban divide, think about the substantial effects that the disparity of accessing education will throw us at. Closures of educational institutions hamper the provision of essential services to children and communities, including access to nutritious mid-day meals, affect the ability of many parents to work, and increase risks of violence against women and girls.

A recent UNESCO report says, the pandemic-induced disruption has affected more than 90 per cent of the world’s student population, accounting for over 120 crore students and youths across the planet. The estimate for India is that more than 32 crores of students have been affected, of which about 14 crore are primary and 13 crore secondary level students.

Education experts say that many children may not be able to recoup from the poverty ditch and go back to school for some years, widening the gap between rich and poor and jeopardising the prospects of tens of millions of children trying to pull themselves out of poverty. Can we think about any social or financial packages or stimulus here, at this juncture when the harrowing Covid gaps are still present?

However, there are a few silver linings. Research says, a few schools have gone out of their way creatively. Some schools in MP started broadcasting their classes over loudspeakers, while outdoor group classes have also been organised in some villages there so that pupils can keep a safe distance while they learn. Also, reports of broadcasting study lessons on specified television channels is another good idea here.

We as individuals, technology providers, organisations can do our bit too if we realise education is one of society’s greatest equalisers. Just donating money won’t help. A thought to ponder upon!

Happy Reading!
Sharmila Das
Editor

All Editorials

No Results Found

The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.

The Vaccination Mirage

by cv | Jul 17, 2021 | Covid, Editorial

The Vaccination Mirage

There was a popular tweet doing the rounds lately. It said, India’s vaccination drive is like going for a marriage. At first, the groom wasn’t ready for it, then there was no suitable match and then the groom, because of not getting what he wanted, had to settle with whatever available. This is a very close comparison to the vaccination scenario in India. At first, we Indians were reluctant in taking the jab, then we started looking for the one we thought was perfect; then we went for whatever was available. This is still pertinent in some parts of India where a good share of the rural and semi-rural population is hesitant in taking a jab. I faced it at my home too when our domestic help refused to take the shot fearing her mother’s threat of dying of vaccination.

If we look around, it is clear as daylight that there are different layers of malfunctioning operating in our country when it comes to the vaccination drive. First, we celebrated defeating the virus early then we started exporting it to our neighboring countries and then all hell broke loose! We had the second wave even more severe. We had no vaccine for the vast 1.38 billion population and still the country is experiencing the shortage issue.

Keeping aside the unavailability issue, think about it. A country with approximately 65% rural population where availability of smartphone and Internet is scarce (approximately 35% access internet through smartphone), the functioning of the vaccination drive through a technology-enabled platform Cowin is a mayhem. Even with the 35% smartphone users, how many are digital savvy to book a slot on Cowin? Understandably, we are bearing its share of outcomes with rampant pandemic spread in rural areas for the first time.

Then there comes the state-center, public/private spat at the cost of the lives of common men. States are blaming for the unavailability of buying foreign vaccines where the center looks baffling without a clear buying and distribution framework. Also, the Supreme Court now calling the center’s vaccine policy “arbitrary and irrational”. As per reports, the Court wanted to know why people between the 18-44 age group need to buy the vaccine when the older population is getting it for free. Moving on, health experts stressed that the only way to win the fight against Covid is by rapidly vaccinating at least 80 per cent of the country’s population to create herd immunity. Its importance cannot be overemphasised especially in the context of the virus’ spread in rural India which is affected by rickety healthcare infrastructure.

A dear friend of mine, working with a media daily recently wrote an analysis where he said, the Covid-19 second wave is shifting base. It is more going to the eastern part of the country-where the occurrence of the disease has already seen a sharp spike of 20% compared to last year. Clearly, vaccination is the only answer to the deadly disease in such areas where healthcare facilities are laughable. And for the larger part of the country too, it is the only succor.

But how are we going to see this happen? By the time the edition will be out, I’m sure there will be more such questions if we do not settle the storm sooner. Putting to rest all such a stalemate, can we look at a policy where a framework to provide free vaccination to the population can be laid? Sure, if we wish to be a $5 trillion economy, $5 billion to vaccinate all is not a big ask.

Happy Reading!
Sharmila Das
Editor

All Editorials

No Results Found

The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.

ASCI and government guidelines are both yes and no for consumers on how they are maneuvered

by cv | Jul 17, 2021 | Editorial

ASCI and government guidelines are both yes and no for consumers on how they are maneuvered

The recent guidelines announced by the Advertising Council of India (ASCI) has created a lot of buzz among the brands, influencers, agencies and consumers. While the majority section of the stakeholders is saying this new guideline is going to bode well with the new age consumerism, a section of it calling the social media rules by the government are intermediating, curbing one’s freedom of expression and privacy.

If I go by my analysis, I would say the ASCI guidelines are self-explanatory for the better usage of different digital platforms. With this new set of guidelines, we the consumers are going to receive what was greatly missed before. Every consumer in the country has the right to be served with genuine information and that should not be misrepresented by the name of an organic content. Rather they should have clear mention of brand/product endorsement so that the audience aka the consumers know the message can be a bias information supporting the influencers’ cause.

ASCI had also earlier announced rules for different companies claiming ranking, awards for use in different advertisements which I feel is a much-appreciated step to safeguard the interest of consumers. Brands and services need to ensure that the endorsing bodies involved in showing awards or rankings are authentic and credible, while validating their claims in advertisements. The ASCI statement said this is to curtail the “superiority claims” in advertising for the products and services based on awards and rankings received, which “sometimes misled into believing” by the consumers.

On the other hand, there are new set of government guidelines that have addressed user issues related to the OTT platforms. Now you and me know the awkward situations we all go through while watching any streaming content on our smart TVs. Certainly, we wanted clear disclaimer of minimum age of consuming such content which was not there. Also, tobacco or any alcohol advertisements on such shows were clearly deplorable for us. Now, with the self-classification for streaming services on content that is for 13-plus, 16-plus or adults on the basis of age, sex, violence and nudity is something we always wanted. We now know that there will be a framework filtering children friendly content.

And there are government notified rules to regulate social media as well. This new regulation bars content that is defamatory, obscene, libelous, racist, harmful to minors, threatens the unity, integrity, defence, security or sovereignty of India and its ties with other countries also are there. The new rule also states that SM platforms will need to remove or disable offensive or illegal content within 36 hours of being notified or of a court order. Now, that implies the govt is going to decide what is defamatory and yes, I hear you right! In a democratic country, can there be a unified parameter to define the nature of a post? Likewise, our end-end-to encryption messages being sent on WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal will come under rigid surveillance that means, if need be, users’ data will be identifiable.

To sum up, I must say while these ASCI and government guidelines are going to help consumers to a great extent; yet the feeling of a sword is hanging over our heads while messaging online or on social platforms can’t be ignored.

Happy Reading!
Sharmila Das
Editor

All Editorials

No Results Found

The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.