Alcohol, History, Metabolism And Hand Sanitizers
September 3, 2020 at 6:05 p.m.
By Max [email protected]
First came the mad rush to buy toilet paper followed by the obsessive demand to procure hand sanitizers. I had a problem understanding the toilet paper shortage but hand sanitizers were another matter. They were a necessity and their sales have been astronomical.
One research company projects that the hand sanitizer market will exist worth $2.8 billion by 2030, growing a rate of more than 7 % every year. Projections from Research and Markets are even more optimistic with analysts expecting the market to be worth $3.65 billion by 2026, averaging annual growth of 12.3%.
Hand sanitizers contain a simple ingredient, ethyl alcohol, a substance with a long and interesting history. Ethyl alcohol (CH3–CHOH) should not be confused with methyl alcohol (CH3—OH). The latter is toxic and can be absorbed through the skin. Ethyl alcohol, on the other hand is an excellent antiseptic, it exhibits a rapid broad spectrum antimicrobial activity against vegetative bacteria (not spores), viruses and fungi. It is widely used for both hard surface disinfection and skin antisepsis. The optimal concentration is from 60 to 90%.
The mechanism of action for alcohol is due to its ability to cause membrane damage and rapid denaturation of proteins on the cell surface of the organism. Denaturation involves breaking the linkages or bonds within a protein molecule that are responsible for the highly ordered structure of that protein in its natural state. Alcohol interferes with the lipid shell surrounding the coronavirus and prevents proteins from functioning normally. It also affects the protein spikes embedded in the surface of the virus.
There is a recent report that mouthwashes containing alcohol are effective against Sars-Cov-2, the organism responsible for COVID-19, and can thus help to reduce the viral load and possibly the risk of coronavirus transmission over the short term, i.e., prior to dental appointments.
History
The history behind the use of alcohol is quite interesting. Ethyl alcohol has been used internally and externally for millennia and according to Rod Phillips in his well researched book Alcohol, it helps people relax and sometimes to forget their cares. Alcoholic beverages, especially beer and wine, have often been associated with divinity, and they have historically been credited with having medicinal or therapeutic properties; it is hard to think of an illness, disease, or physical pathology that has not, at some time, been treated by some form of alcohol.
It has been credited with ridding the body of worms and cancer, aiding digestion, fighting heart disease, and turning back old age and extending life itself. Then too, alcohol has also been blamed for illnesses, insanity, accidents, immorality, impiety, social disorder, catastrophes, crime and death. Much of criticism about using alcohol stems from overconsumption and recognized from centuries ago.
Heavy drinking actually brought about the collapse of the Shang dynasty in China (1750-1100 BC). In reaction, subsequent rulers not only warned against excessive drinking and made it punishable by death.
Early Evidence
The earliest evidence of any form of alcoholic beverage has been found in northern China, while the earliest known wine production facility is claimed for Armenia. There is evidence that of one of the earliest commercial breweries was located in Peru and a suggestion that the first evidence of distilling alcohol is to be found in the regions now occupied by Pakistan and northern India.
The earliest known alcohol in liquid form, preserved in airtight bronze vessels and dating back an astonishing 4,000 years, was found in central China. Many of these findings have shifted some attention from the Middle East, which was long assumed to be the birthplace of beer, win, and distillation — and which gave us the Arabic origin of our word “alcohol” — even though there is an important concentration of evidence of ancient alcohol in that region.
Metabolism
The equilibrium concentration of alcohol in a tissue depends on the relative water content of that tissue. Equilibration of alcohol within a tissue depends on the water content, rate of blood flow and the tissue mass. Ethanol is practically insoluble in fats and oils, although like water, it can pass through biological membranes.
Ethanol distributes from the blood into all tissues and fluids in proportion to their relative content of water. The concentration of ethanol in a tissue is dependent on the relative water content of the tissue, and reaches equilibrium quickly with the concentration of ethanol in the plasma. There is no plasma protein binding of alcohol.
Final Thoughts
Alcohol has also been featured in politics. The 18th Amendment banning the consumption of alcohol enacted on Jan. 16, 1919, was, after all, one of the nation’s most significant policy debacles: after less than fifteen years it became the first, and it remains the only, constitutional amendment to be rescinded.
Max Sherman is a medical writer and pharmacist retired from the medical device industry. He has taught college courses on regulatory and compliance issues at Ivy Tech, Grace College and Butler University. Sherman has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge on all levels. Eclectic Science, the title of his column, touches on famed doctors and scientists, human senses, aging, various diseases, and little-known facts about many species, including their contributions to scientific research. His new book “Science Snippets” is available from Amazon and other book sellers. He can be reached by email at [email protected].
First came the mad rush to buy toilet paper followed by the obsessive demand to procure hand sanitizers. I had a problem understanding the toilet paper shortage but hand sanitizers were another matter. They were a necessity and their sales have been astronomical.
One research company projects that the hand sanitizer market will exist worth $2.8 billion by 2030, growing a rate of more than 7 % every year. Projections from Research and Markets are even more optimistic with analysts expecting the market to be worth $3.65 billion by 2026, averaging annual growth of 12.3%.
Hand sanitizers contain a simple ingredient, ethyl alcohol, a substance with a long and interesting history. Ethyl alcohol (CH3–CHOH) should not be confused with methyl alcohol (CH3—OH). The latter is toxic and can be absorbed through the skin. Ethyl alcohol, on the other hand is an excellent antiseptic, it exhibits a rapid broad spectrum antimicrobial activity against vegetative bacteria (not spores), viruses and fungi. It is widely used for both hard surface disinfection and skin antisepsis. The optimal concentration is from 60 to 90%.
The mechanism of action for alcohol is due to its ability to cause membrane damage and rapid denaturation of proteins on the cell surface of the organism. Denaturation involves breaking the linkages or bonds within a protein molecule that are responsible for the highly ordered structure of that protein in its natural state. Alcohol interferes with the lipid shell surrounding the coronavirus and prevents proteins from functioning normally. It also affects the protein spikes embedded in the surface of the virus.
There is a recent report that mouthwashes containing alcohol are effective against Sars-Cov-2, the organism responsible for COVID-19, and can thus help to reduce the viral load and possibly the risk of coronavirus transmission over the short term, i.e., prior to dental appointments.
History
The history behind the use of alcohol is quite interesting. Ethyl alcohol has been used internally and externally for millennia and according to Rod Phillips in his well researched book Alcohol, it helps people relax and sometimes to forget their cares. Alcoholic beverages, especially beer and wine, have often been associated with divinity, and they have historically been credited with having medicinal or therapeutic properties; it is hard to think of an illness, disease, or physical pathology that has not, at some time, been treated by some form of alcohol.
It has been credited with ridding the body of worms and cancer, aiding digestion, fighting heart disease, and turning back old age and extending life itself. Then too, alcohol has also been blamed for illnesses, insanity, accidents, immorality, impiety, social disorder, catastrophes, crime and death. Much of criticism about using alcohol stems from overconsumption and recognized from centuries ago.
Heavy drinking actually brought about the collapse of the Shang dynasty in China (1750-1100 BC). In reaction, subsequent rulers not only warned against excessive drinking and made it punishable by death.
Early Evidence
The earliest evidence of any form of alcoholic beverage has been found in northern China, while the earliest known wine production facility is claimed for Armenia. There is evidence that of one of the earliest commercial breweries was located in Peru and a suggestion that the first evidence of distilling alcohol is to be found in the regions now occupied by Pakistan and northern India.
The earliest known alcohol in liquid form, preserved in airtight bronze vessels and dating back an astonishing 4,000 years, was found in central China. Many of these findings have shifted some attention from the Middle East, which was long assumed to be the birthplace of beer, win, and distillation — and which gave us the Arabic origin of our word “alcohol” — even though there is an important concentration of evidence of ancient alcohol in that region.
Metabolism
The equilibrium concentration of alcohol in a tissue depends on the relative water content of that tissue. Equilibration of alcohol within a tissue depends on the water content, rate of blood flow and the tissue mass. Ethanol is practically insoluble in fats and oils, although like water, it can pass through biological membranes.
Ethanol distributes from the blood into all tissues and fluids in proportion to their relative content of water. The concentration of ethanol in a tissue is dependent on the relative water content of the tissue, and reaches equilibrium quickly with the concentration of ethanol in the plasma. There is no plasma protein binding of alcohol.
Final Thoughts
Alcohol has also been featured in politics. The 18th Amendment banning the consumption of alcohol enacted on Jan. 16, 1919, was, after all, one of the nation’s most significant policy debacles: after less than fifteen years it became the first, and it remains the only, constitutional amendment to be rescinded.
Max Sherman is a medical writer and pharmacist retired from the medical device industry. He has taught college courses on regulatory and compliance issues at Ivy Tech, Grace College and Butler University. Sherman has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge on all levels. Eclectic Science, the title of his column, touches on famed doctors and scientists, human senses, aging, various diseases, and little-known facts about many species, including their contributions to scientific research. His new book “Science Snippets” is available from Amazon and other book sellers. He can be reached by email at [email protected].
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