Each year several people get sick due to the many illnesses being spread through human contact. This year the flu virus has hit us particularly hard in the U.S. In fact, a report published by the Centers for Disease Control estimates there have been an excess of 50,000 flu-related deaths this season (CDC.gov). The easiest and most reliable way to ensure the health of people is hand washing. The occurrences of the common cold, influenza, and the stomach flu can be greatly reduced by making sure people clean their hands before touching their eyes, nose, or mouth. Since it has been proven that hand washing minimizes the spread of disease, I felt that it would be very useful to conduct an experiment to find out what hand cleaner is the most effective at killing germs. …show more content…
Ethyl alcohol is the main ingredient found in liquid hand sanitizer.
It is an antimicrobial which means that it is an agent that kills microorganisms or stops their growth (extractohol.com).
Antimicrobial agents such as alcohol-based hand sanitizers prevent the spread of bacteria, fungi, and some viruses. (microban.com)
Alcohol hand sanitizers work by stripping off the outer layer of oil from hands to destroy any microorganisms that may be present. (livestrong.com)
Hypothesis
I think that liquid hand sanitizer will be the most effective at killing germs. If alcohol is present in the cleaner, then the least amount of bacteria should form. I chose this hypothesis because hand sanitizer contains the active ingredient of ethyl alcohol. It is an agent used in hospitals to clean and disinfect. It is an agent known for killing microorganisms, and as a result I feel that this ingredient will have a positive effect on my results.
Materials and Procedure
Materials:
Various hand cleaning