The prevalence of hand sanitizers in clinic’s, hospitals, and schools is the accepted frontline defense against the spread of illness such as the flu. But the toxic chemicals in these gels that are intended to keep us safe from illness are making many people dangerously ill.

There is an urgent need for doctors and nurses to be informed of these poisonous chemicals present in hospitals and clinics. Mothers do you know children uptake chemicals 50 times faster than adults? You or your child could be next!

 
There are thousands of people with Chemical Sensitivity today. People with Chemical Sensitivity can experience negative sometimes extreme health effects in multiple organ systems from exposure to low levels of common chemicals.

I’m going to tell you my life threatening experience with hand sanitizers.

My name is Cherie Guzman; a beauty salon owner for over twenty five years. I became injured from the chemicals in the products, used in my salon. These presumably safe ingredients contributed to health issues and Chemical Sensitivity. Eleven years ago I opened Chadwick’s Chemically Sensitive Salon. Chadwick’s uses safe, nontoxic, professional products. Opening Chadwick's and avoiding chemicals helped my health improve and life return to normal.

 My first exposure to hand sanitizers was in 2006 during a tour of a Holland Americas Amsterdam cruise ship.

My husband George Guzman came with me on the tour.

When we arrived at the ship we were directed to apply hand sanitizer from a dispenser before boarding and leaving the ship. I saw a small drop of liquid dropping on the hands of the people in front of me and I thought it probably just contains alcohol. (I am not sensitive to alcohol)

After applying the gel I took one step and collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath. All my muscle strength was gone; I couldn’t even hold my head upright. George yelled for a wet towel and a wheel chair. He wiped off the gel and wheeled me into the infirmary where a doctor and two nurses, asked what was wrong.

George tried to explain that I had Chemical Sensitivity. The hand sanitizer must have a lot of chemicals in it he said, because as soon as my wife used it she was on the floor unable to breathe. George explained I needed oxygen to breathe, without oxygen I would have died.

I was still gasping for breath when they brought in some oxygen. The doctor and nurses had no other suggestions; they didn’t seem to know what to do. They just kept asking me to stand up. The doctor left, George managed to get a steward and a wheel chair. I was frightened and still gasping for air. Alone and without help, George wheeled me to our car.

I was sick for many days after this exposure.

My next exposure to hand sanitizers was in 2009. While in a medical clinic exam room August 27, 2009 for a pre-surgery visit, I went into anaphylaxis. I had only been there a few minutes but I could have died. The doctor and nurses didn’t seem to know what to do.

Fortunately my husband George accompanied me to the appointment. On my intake form I explained that I have Chemical Sensitivity. There were many hand sanitizer dispensers in every room of the clinic.

As I fell down on the floor unable to move, the doctor and nurses looked silently shocked. George yelled open a window. They responded slowly, “the windows don’t open.” George yelled get oxygen, she can’t breathe. They barely moved. He picked me up, and dragged me out of the clinic. The surgeon followed behind and opened the front door saying I hope everything’s okay. George dragged me to our car where I had oxygen tanks for reactions to chemicals.

There was no follow-up call from the doctor. After I had recovered enough I made a phone call to the clinic. I asked the name of the hand sanitizer used in the clinic. The brand is Steris Cal Stat Plus. I called the manufacturer to ask for the ingredient list of the product.  Five chemicals were listed; the last ingredient was listed as fragrascent powder. I called and asked what was in the powder. I was told it was their proprietary, secret ingredient. They would only divulge the ingredient to my physician if he or she signed a contract saying they would not divulge the ingredient to anyone, including the patient.

I immediately started making phone calls to see if I could find a hospital that isn’t using hand sanitizers. I was passed on to many facilities and practitioners.

Finally, I called Swedish hospital in Seattle. The director of infectious control called me back. He said yes Swedish hospital has hand sanitizers on every wall. He said every hospital in the country did as well because of the Swine flu. He expressed concern for my welfare and then said, do you know what’s in the hand sanitizer? I said no, but wasn’t he the head of infectious control, and didn’t he know. He was surprised by my response and that he didn’t know. He promised to look into the problem, and call back. Our conversation was 51/2 weeks ago. I haven’t heard from him.

I am concerned that if I needed immediate medical care, and I was rushed to a hospital in an ambulance full of hand sanitizers, I would die before reaching the hospital.

Even if a hospital removed the hand sanitizers from my area, I would probably have the same reaction because the air and chemicals are re-circulated in these buildings.

I am certain that many unaware patients in hospitals and clinics are having adverse reactions to these chemicals, when they are most vulnerable. They are suffering medical procedure complications that no one is associating with the constant exposure to hand sanitizers. Unavoidable chemicals in hand sanitizers are now on every wall and surface in clinics, ambulances and hospitals.

I also believe that the chemicals in hand sanitizers can affect brain function. Doctors and nurses could have their competency at risk by continuously using this chemical product in these enclosed buildings.

Recently I’ve learned hand sanitizers are now installed in grocery stores, gyms, elevators, schools, and probably every public building.

A client of mine runs a commercial kitchen in Seattle. The health department said the staff had to use hand sanitizers. She was shocked when she looked at the ingredients. The decision was made to pay an independent lab to check it’s effectiveness in comparison to the natural E.O. brand sanitizer (no unsafe chemicals). The E.O. brand killed more bugs than the chemical brand. The health department approved its use.

Because I am self employed, I have paid a large sum of money in the form of expensive seldom used insurance premiums over the years. My doctor has recommended surgery for various conditions that I suffer from. However, I am unable to find a local hospital and surgeon to safely treat me because of the prevalence of hand sanitizers. It is very frightening to know health care is now denied to me because of hand sanitizers and the unsafe chemicals they contain.

 News Articles TO THINK ABOUT;

·        Water was the most effective at removing stomach bug viruses from the hands Emory University researchers find. They planted stomach bug viruses on volunteer’s fingers and allowed them to dry. The results, presented this week at the American Society for Microbiology Meeting in Orlando, Fla. showed the percentage of the viruses removed by water, hand soap, and alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Water removed 96 percent of the virus; liquid antibacterial soap removed 88 percent; and the hand sanitizer removed only 46 percent.                            
“Water Wins” By Joanna Schaffhausen May 23, 2006  ABC News

·        Hand Sanitizers can cause more health problems than they prevent. Nearly every off-the-shelf hand wipe and liquid hand sanitizer is alcohol based. Alcohol dries the skin causing cracks—opening a direct pathway for disease to the human bloodstream. When a hand sanitizer includes an alcohol or a petroleum by-product, that hand wash presents a real possibility for toxic exposure, whether it includes organic ingredients or not.                                                                    
By Dwayne Coots                                                                    May15,2009                                                                 Free-press release.com   

·        Article from New York Times Can Cinnamon fight swine flu? Cinnamon solution kills infections like streptococcus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. Another French study showed it effective against Staphlococcus E coli and antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria.                      Homemade Hand Sanitizer Thieves Oil Dr. Lawrence D. Rosen a New Jersey pediatrician recommends his formula cinnamon bark, lemon oil and eucalyptus, clove, and rosemary therapeutic grade essential oils. Mix with jojoba or olive oil and use as hand sanitizer. See  www.care2.com      

·        E.O. Organic, plant based (non-GMO) hand sanitizer recommended by C.D.C.