Adverse Effects Induced by Long-term Use of Hand Sanitizers Among Health Staff During COVID-19

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Center of Excellence for Occupational Health, Research Center for Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.

2 Department of Public Health, School of Health, Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Health Sciences & Technology Research Institute, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.

3 Health Sciences Research Center, Health Sciences & Technology Research Institute, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamdan, Iran.

4 Legal Medicine Research Center, Legal Medicine Organization of Iran, Tehran, Iran.

5 Medicinal Plants and Natural Products Research Center, Hamedan University of Medical Sciences, Hamedan, Iran.

6 Department of Biostatistics, School of Health, Modeling of Noncommunicable Diseases Research Center, Health Sciences & Technology Research Institute, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.

7 Psoriasis Research Center, Department of Dermatology, Sina Hospital, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.

8 Center of Excellence for Occupational Health, Nutrition Health Research Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.

10.32598/JAEHR.10.3.1257

Abstract

Background: The present study examines the various complications and impurities of alcoholbased hand sanitizers during COVID-19 among health workers in Hamadan City, Iran.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 178 healthcare workers in different hospitals affiliated with the Hamadan University of Medical Sciences. The inclusion criteria included health personnel working in hospitals dedicated to the care and treatment of patients with COVID-19 in Hamadan City. A researcher-made questionnaire was used to collect data. Afterward, to evaluate the quality and impurities of the alcohol-based hand sanitizers used by healthcare workers, various samples were collected and analyzed using gas chromatographymass spectrometry (GC-MS). Stata software version 14-2 was used to analyze the data.
Results: The highest and the lowest percentages of ethanol in washing solutions and gels were 68.24% and 60.71%, respectively. Among them, the frequency of using gel, solution, and spray was 93.82%, 42.13%, and 49.44%, respectively. Skin and breathing sensitivity were the most common symptoms in 44.38% and 27.68% of the health workers, respectively. Skin dryness (50%) and sore throat (25.84%) were the most common complications observed in skin and respiratory symptoms among health workers, respectively.
Conclusion: Our findings implied that the prevalence of various complications related to the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers is high among health workers, which highlights the role of using appropriate alcohol-based hand rubs with suitable formulations in the hospital environment to reduce the adverse health effects caused by their long-term and extensive use among health workers. 

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Main Subjects

References

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Journal of Advances in Environmental Health Research
Volume 10, Issue 3
July 2022
Pages 217-224

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