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Monday, Nov. 30, 2020

Does the human body build up a tolerance to hand sanitizer after multiple uses?

Lauralei Singsank, Gigafact Foundry
no

The human body doesn't build up a tolerance to hand sanitizer—but bacteria does.

Alcohol-based sanitizers can help kill staph infections and some bacteria. But the widespread use of hand sanitizer has been proven to increase enterococcal infections, caused by bacteria in the digestive tract, bladder and heart, which become resistant to alcohol-based disinfectant.

Hand sanitizer also comes with other risks. It can be toxic when accidentally ingested, a particular worry with children. In May and June 2020, four patients died after swallowing alcohol-based hand sanitizers, and three became visually impaired.

The Centers for Disease Control recommends washing hands with soap and water whenever possible. Hand-washing is most effective at removing certain germs, including norovirus. When washing isn't available, the agency recommends using hand sanitizer that's at least 60% alcohol.

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Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.

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