throat irritation & hand sanitizer

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Hi guys-

Just wondering if anyone has had the same problem as I have. I am a nursing student and every time I am on the floor my throat, ears, and head hurts. I know I'm always tired on clinical days so it could be part of it but I always feel better once I'm off.

I worked on a certain unit where I did not have this problem and the hand sanitizer there was less smelly and it was foam vs gel. I'm back on a unit with the standard purell stuff and I'm kind of convinced that the hand sanitizer is super irritating to my throat, etc.

Has anyone had a similar problem? I know it sounds strange but I just don't have any other way to explain it.

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Specializes in Cardio-Pulmonary; Med-Surg; Private Duty.

Does Purell bother you when you're not in a hospital?

Hospital air is intentionally kept dry... you may just be reacting to that.

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Hi guys-

Just wondering if anyone has had the same problem as I have. I am a nursing student and every time I am on the floor my throat, ears, and head hurts. I know I'm always tired on clinical days so it could be part of it but I always feel better once I'm off.

I worked on a certain unit where I did not have this problem and the hand sanitizer there was less smelly and it was foam vs gel. I'm back on a unit with the standard purell stuff and I'm kind of convinced that the hand sanitizer is super irritating to my throat, etc.

Has anyone had a similar problem? I know it sounds strange but I just don't have any other way to explain it.

I don't have that issue with Purell, but I do have it with countless other scented products like incense, perfumes, air freshers, cleaning products, etc. Sometimes I start reacting (headache, runny nose, sore throat) before I actually even smell the offending substance.

A speech therapist once explained that the chemical compounds used as bases for many scents (to hold them and make them last) are what most people are allergic to, as opposed to the scents themselves.

It's definitely possible that you have a sensitivity to purell, but it could also be that you have a sensitivity to something they've used to mop the floors. Who knows...

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I don't use Purell outside of the hospital. You're right though, could be dry air.

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Specializes in GENERAL.
I don't use Purell outside of the hospital. You're right though, could be dry air.

And you might consider d/c gargling with this stuff.

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