Hand Sanitizer and the effects on our Reefs

Does Hand Sanitizer make a negative impact on our reefs?

  • Yes

  • No

  • Maybe


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andrecr

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Hey guys

I've been thinking about this for a while and always seemed like a stupid question but last episode of Reef News Network podcast they adressed the issue because of Coral trade shows.

Do you guys think that Hand Sanitizer made an impact on the quality of water of our reefs?
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

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I voted maybe because it obviously depends on what is in it.

Traces of ethanol or isopropanol are no concern.

Surfactants might cause a skimmer to foam more. Oils may cause foam collapse.

Sanitizers with compounds like chlorhexidine are more of a concern, but are so diluted in the tank that they probably have no effect.
 

CMMorgan

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I am only speaking from personal anecdotal evidence and not from a scientific study. For several years, I was an educator at an environmental center in Ga. We had this amazing "touch tank" filled with horseshoe crabs. This was a long standing exhibit. We ran summer camp programs and school field trips ... even homeschool programs. The tank was also part of the aquarium exhibit, so open to the public year round.
By and large, it was a stable exhibit - healthy and thriving. Then the local school system expressed concern about not having a hand wash sink in close proximity to the touch tank. It is worth noting that this was to allow the kids to clean their hands after leaving the exhibit, not before. They were protecting the kids, not the crabs. After some government ho ha, they placed hand sanitizer dispensers at the entrance of the exhibit. Teachers would also walk around with pump bottles and have the kids "clean" their hands and then send them flocking to the crabs.
We lost so many crabs that year. We posted signs asking them to NOT use hand sanitizer before putting hands in the tank. I personally, blocked them from touching when groups came in. I would remove the crab and do my presentation then send them on their way.
Can I tell you what the chemical imbalance was that caused the die offs? No. Can I tell you that these tanks had healthy critters for years before they placed dispensers there and crabs dies afterwards? Yes Will I use hand sanitizer before going in my tank? Never
 
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andrecr

andrecr

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I voted maybe because it obviously depends on what is in it.

Traces of ethanol or isopropanol are no concern.

Surfactants might cause a skimmer to foam more. Oils may cause foam collapse.

Sanitizers with compounds like chlorhexidine are more of a concern, but are so diluted in the tank that they probably have no effect.

I am only speaking from personal anecdotal evidence and not from a scientific study. For several years, I was an educator at an environmental center in Ga. We had this amazing "touch tank" filled with horseshoe crabs. This was a long standing exhibit. We ran summer camp programs and school field trips ... even homeschool programs. The tank was also part of the aquarium exhibit, so open to the public year round.
By and large, it was a stable exhibit - healthy and thriving. Then the local school system expressed concern about not having a hand wash sink in close proximity to the touch tank. It is worth noting that this was to allow the kids to clean their hands after leaving the exhibit, not before. They were protecting the kids, not the crabs. After some government ho ha, they placed hand sanitizer dispensers at the entrance of the exhibit. Teachers would also walk around with pump bottles and have the kids "clean" their hands and then send them flocking to the crabs.
We lost so many crabs that year. We posted signs asking them to NOT use hand sanitizer before putting hands in the tank. I personally, blocked them from touching when groups came in. I would remove the crab and do my presentation then send them on their way.
Can I tell you what the chemical imbalance was that caused the die offs? No. Can I tell you that these tanks had healthy critters for years before they placed dispensers there and crabs dies afterwards? Yes Will I use hand sanitizer before going in my tank? Never
@Randy Holmes-Farley So If its a long exposure issue like @CMMorgan exposed can have very bad effects?
 
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andrecr

andrecr

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i mean, i always wash my hands before placing my hands in the tank…

just plain cold water.

so the issue of hand sanitizer, for me, is moot
True mate but happened to me , I wasn't supposed to put my hands on the tank and for some reason I did and immediatly felt that layer of sanitizer on my hand dispersing in the tank
 

CMMorgan

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True mate but happened to me , I wasn't supposed to put my hands on the tank and for some reason I did and immediatly felt that layer of sanitizer on my hand dispersing in the tank
I would not freak out if it only happened once. In my situation, we're talking sometimes 30 kids ... maybe 100 + if there were multiple classes coming through.... just think about the saturation. This was an AIO tank ... no skimmer. WC done bi-weekly. That's literally hundreds of little hands in between water changes. To answer your question, can hand sanitizer have a negative impact? Sure Is your tank going to crash because you did it today? Not likely
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

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@Randy Holmes-Farley So If its a long exposure issue like @CMMorgan exposed can have very bad effects?

I think the issue there may have been direct exposure to lots and lots of hands.

Diluted exposure in the tank from one set of hands is a different thing. Like copper is toxic at high concentration and a needed nutrient at lower concentration.
 

Cory

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Im not sure but if you use activated carbon/ozone/ or uvc sterilization then likely any effects would diminish quickly.
 

Aeb1419

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Wut the coincidence. I just had to pick up a frag that fell and I was just outside before where I used hand sanitizer at the coffee shop. Didnt realize until I read this post. I think it would be safer to avoid using hand sanitizer before working in ur tank.
 

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