Introduction Of Alcohol Disinfectants
During the COVID pandemic, we can easily see alcohol disinfectants everywhere in nearly all public locations such as the supermarkets, offices, banks and so on. If you have a chance to look at the label of the bottle of hand sanitizer, you are very likely to see ethyl or isopropyl alcohol are listed in the ingredients. Ethanol used in disinfectants has the same chemical structure as the drinking alcohol, but in a higher concentration level. Isopropyl alcohol is also referred to as rubbing alcohol.Both types of alcohol can be effectively used to kill a wide range of bacteria, viruses and fungi at the right concentration levels. From the chemical point of view, alcohol will be able to kill germs via a simple chemical process known as denaturation, which means, at a certain concentration level, alcohol molecules can break down the proteins used in the structure of germs like membranes etc. The loss of cell membranes and other structures will cause the cell to die quickly via dehydration.

70% Alcohol  vs Pure Alcohol
Generally, it is recommended to use an alcohol concentration of between 60 and 90 percent for disinfection purposes, and the most commonly used concentration level is 70% alcohol, which means the pure ethanol or isopropanol being diluted with 30 percent purified water by volume. The reason for that is because for disinfecting purposes, pure alcohol are less effective than the one with a lower level of concentration. When higher concentrations of alcohol are reaching the germs, it will quickly cause an external injury of the surface of the cell and then form a protective wall which will prevent more alcohol molecules from penetrating into the internal of the cell. In comparison, the 70% of alcohol disinfects can easily enter into the cells and function better. Also, the pure alcohol will evaporate very quickly which means it doesn't have adequate time to penetrate cell walls and kill bacteria, and therefore is not a good idea for sanitizing hands.

Can Drinking Alcohol Also Kill Germs?
Since alcohol in the disinfectants has the same chemical structure as the drinking alcohol, you may wonder why those drinking alcoholic beverages such as beers, wines or spirits cannot be used to kill germs in human bodies? The main reason is that alcohol must reach a certain level of concentration to kill germs. However, after drinking, the concentration of alcohol that actually enters your bloodstreamcannot reach that level, and thus cannot effectively kill germs. Due to the fact that most drinking alcohol only has a concentration level between 5% to 30%, compared with the alcohol disinfectants, the drinking alcohol cannot even be used to kill germs on human skins. Also, those alcoholic beverages are not designed to stay on your skin long enough to kill germs, the effectiveness of disinfection will decrease quickly due to the quick evaporation.

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