12/04/2020
Soap, Detergent and Warm Water for 20 seconds is STILL better then Hand Sanitiser with Deactivating SARS-CoV-2 an envelope virus (that causes COVID-19 disease).
Part #1 of 2.
Summary: The soap (or detergent) and water works like washing one’s hands off oils or grease with soap and water. The process is the soap (or detergent) and water turning it into soapy water and the soap molecule will “compete” with the virus lipids envelope and dissolves “the glue that holds the virus together”, “almost like a crowbar; it starts to pull all the things apart”. See SARS-CoV-2 #1 picture.
Please ensure you read through the links thoroughly and you will have a deeper understanding.
Summary on Virus
Ref “How does a virus like COVID-19 spread” 23 Mar 2020, by Kashmi Ranasinghe. https://blog.csiro.au/covid19-virus-spread/
Virus is regarded as non-living because it cannot replicate, reproduce or grow “by itself outside of a living cell, and depended on a host’s cell for its reproduction and survival. They do not “store and capture energy themselves.”
“Viruses have either RNA or DNA (the genome) as their genetic material”, which are the instructions for the cell to replicate the virus. “This genetic material is found in the core of the virus”.
“The core is wrapped in a protein coat called a capsid, or nucleocapsid. This protects the core and the genetic material inside. For the simplest viruses, this constitutes the infectious virus, or virion, as it is called. For many viruses, around the nucleocapsid, there is a second protein layer called the envelope. In some viruses, like SARS-CoV-2 (which causes the disease COVID-19), there is also an outer lipid (fatty) membrane.” “Those viruses which have a lipid envelope are generally the most fragile”, including SARS-CoV-2 virus. When Soap, Detergent and Water come in contact with its lipid envelope, it will dissolve “the glue that holds the virus together”, “almost like a crowbar; it starts to pull all the things apart”.
The big picture steps with how the virus replicate or reproduce.
“Virus attaches to the host cell via the cell receptors, where “it can pe*****te the cells”. “Once inside, the virus hijacks the cell protein manufacturing mechanism and instructs the cell to start making copies of the virus’s own genome”. The concept is similar to go hijack a weapons of mass destruction factory and reprogram it to mass produce its version of weapons of mass destruction.
Further reading 17 Mar 2020 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-0820-9
18 Mar 2020. How the Coronavirus Could Take Over Your Body (Before You Ever Feel It), by Jeff Wise
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/03/the-story-of-a-coronavirus-infection.html
Read “WHY DOES SOAP WORK SO WELL ON THE SARS-COV-2, THE CORONAVIRUS AND INDEED MOST VIRUSES?” 8 Mar 2020 Twitter by PROFESSOR PALLI THORDARSON, from School of Chemistry, UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, Sydney, AUSTRALIA.
Quote “Because it is a self-assembled nanoparticle in which the weakest link is the lipid (fatty) bilayer.
The soap dissolves the fat membrane and the virus falls apart like a house of cards and "dies", or rather, we should say it becomes ‘inactive’ as viruses aren’t really alive. Viruses can be active outside the body for hours, even days.
Disinfectants, or liquids, wipes, gels and creams containing alcohol (and soap) have a similar effects but are not really quite as good as normal soap. Apart from the alcohol and soap, the “antibacterial agents” in these products don't affect the virus structure much at all.
Consequently, many antibacterial products are basically just an expensive version of soap in terms of how they act on viruses. Soap is the best but alcohol wipes are good when soap is not practical or handy (e.g. office receptions).” Unquote
Ensure you read through
(1) https://twitter.com/PalliThordarson/status/1236549305189597189
(2) https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/12/science-soap-kills-coronavirus-alcohol-based-disinfectants
“The science of soap – here’s how it kills the coronavirus” 12 Mar 2020 by Prof. Palli Thordarson
Quote "Alcohol-based products, which pretty much includes all “disinfectant” products, contain a high-percentage alcohol solution (typically 60-80% ethanol) and kill viruses in a similar fashion. But soap is better because you only need a fairly small amount of soapy water, which, with rubbing, covers your entire hand easily. Whereas you need to literally soak the virus in ethanol for a brief moment, and wipes or rubbing a gel on the hands does not guarantee that you soak every corner of the skin on your hands effectively enough." Unquote
Read and Watch Vid https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2020/3/11/21173187/coronavirus-covid-19-hand-washing-sanitizer-compared-soap-is-dope
and it will help further your understanding of “Why does soap work so well on the SARS-CoV-2 virus?”
Here is a summary extract of "HOW SOAP ABSOLUTELY ANNIHILATES THE CORONAVIRUS" Vox article explained by Prof Palli Thordarson.
Quote “ The soap takes care of the virus much like it takes care of the oil in the water. “It’s almost like a crowbar; it starts to pull all the things apart,” Thordarson says.
One side of the soap molecule (the one that’s attracted to fat and repelled by water) buries its way into the virus’s fat and protein shell. Fortunately, the chemical bonds holding the virus together aren’t very strong, so this intrusion is enough to break the virus’s coat. “You pull the virus apart, you make it soluble in water, and it disintegrates,” he says.
Then the harmless shards of virus get flushed down the drain. And even if it the soap doesn’t destroy every virus, you’ll still rid them from your hands with soap and water, as well as any grease or dirt they may be clinging to. Soap will also wash away bacteria and other viruses that may be a bit tougher than coronavirus, and harder to disintegrate.
First off, your skin is wrinkly, and it takes time for soap to pe*****te into all the tiny folds and demolish the viruses that lurk within. Then the soap needs a few moments to do its chemical work. “You do need a bit of time for all the soap to interact back and forth with the virus particle,” he says. Twenty seconds should do the trick just fine.
Alcohol, the main ingredient in hand sanitizer, can destroy viruses, too. Sanitizers “actually work in a similar way, the alcohol molecules are somewhat amphiphiles,” he says. The thing is, you need a very high concentration of alcohol to achieve the same effect. (Chemicals called quaternary ammonium compounds — the main ingredient in Lysol — kill viruses too but can be a bit harsher on the skin.)
The CDC recommends a sanitizer that’s 60 percent alcohol, so beware of sanitizers or wipes on the market that don’t meet this standard (or contain alcohol at all). Hand sanitizer is useful, but it can fail in un-ideal situations. If your hands are wet or sweaty when you use the sanitizer, that can dilute it and diminish its effectiveness. Also, sanitizer doesn’t clean your hands of sticky grease to which viruses can also adhere.
“Soap doesn’t really fail easily,” Thordarson says. It doesn’t really matter the formulation of soap, either. You don’t need “antibacterial soap” — which the Food and Drug Administration advises to skip altogether due to a lack of evidence of its usefulness. And you don’t need a super-harsh detergent like you’d put in your dishwasher or laundry machine. Simple soap works fine. “As long as you give it a little bit of time, it will do its job.” ” Unquote
WATCH “Can Soap REALLY "Kill" the Coronavirus?” YouTube 18 Mar 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=K2pMVimI2bw&feature=emb_logo
“So we’re diving into the chemistry behind why soap is so effective against viruses like the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.” Interview between Dr. Sam Jones, PhD and Prof Palli Thordarson.
"WHY SOAP IS PREFERABLE TO BLEACH IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CORONAVIRUS" 18 Mar 2020 by Sarah Gibbens, National Geographic.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/03/why-soap-preferable-bleach-fight-against-coronavirus/
Summary extract quote "For nearly 5,000 years, humans have concocted cleaning products, yet the simple combination of soap and water remains one of the strongest weapons against infectious diseases, including the novel coronavirus.
Foam hand sanitizers are disappearing from store shelves, even though many lack the necessary amount of alcohol—at least 60 percent by volume—to kill viruses. In countries hardest hit by the novel coronavirus, photos show crews in hazmat suits spraying bleach solutions along public sidewalks or inside office buildings.
Using bleach “is like using a bludgeon to swat a fly,” says Dr Jane Greatorex, PhD, a virologist at Cambridge University. It can also corrode metal and lead to other respiratory health problems if inhaled too much over time.
“With bleach, if you put it on a surface with a lot of dirt, that [dirt] will eat up the bleach,” says Lisa Casanova, an environmental health scientist at Georgia State University. She and other experts instead recommend using milder soaps, like dish soap, to easily sanitize a surface indoors and outdoors.
On surfaces, they found SARS-CoV-2 lasted for 24 hours on cardboard, two days on stainless steel, and three days on a type of hard plastic called polypropylene. The virus could only be detected for four hours on copper, a material that naturally breaks down bacteria and viruses. The study also revealed the novel coronavirus and its cousin SARS (SARS-CoV), which caused a major outbreak in 2002 and 2003, last on surfaces for similar amounts of time.
No matter what you touch, soap and water is the best way to remove any potential coronavirus from your hands before it can lead to infection. The coronavirus does not pe*****te through skin because your outermost layer is slightly acidic, which prevents most pathogens from entering the body, explains Greatorex.
Soap works so effectively because its chemistry pries open the coronavirus’s exterior envelope and cause it to degrade. These soap molecules then trap tiny fragments of the virus, which are washed away in water. Hand sanitizers work similarly by busting apart the proteins contained in a virus." Unquote.
University of Cambridge virologist Dr Jane Greatorex
https://www.cambridgeindependent.co.uk/news/cambridge-virologist-explains-what-we-know-and-dont-know-about-covid-19-9104220/
https://www.lucy.cam.ac.uk/fellows/dr-jane-greatorex
"CRUCIAL HYGIENE TIPS TO GET THROUGH THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS" 19 Mar 2020 by Manal Mohammed, Lecturer, University of Westminster.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/coronavirus-hand-sanitisers-soap-hygiene/
Summary extract quote "Washing with warm water and soap remains the gold standard for hand hygiene and preventing the spread of infectious diseases. Washing with warm water (not cold water) and soap removes oils from our hands that can harbour microbes.
But hand sanitisers can also protect against disease-causing microbes, especially in situations when soap and water aren’t available. They’re also proven to be effective in reducing the number and type of microbes.
There are two main types of hand sanitisers: alcohol-based and alcohol-free. Alcohol-based hand sanitisers contain varying amounts and types of alcohol, often between 60% and 95% and usually isopropyl alcohol, ethanol (ethyl alcohol) or n-propanol. Alcohol is known to be able to kill most germs.
Alcohol-free hand sanitisers contain something called quarternary ammonium compounds (usually benzalkonium chloride) instead of alcohol. These can reduce microbes but are less effective than alcohol.
Alcohol attacks and destroys the envelope protein that surrounds some viruses, including coronaviruses. This protein is vital for a virus’s survival and multiplication. But a hand sanitiser needs to be at least 60% alcohol in order to kill most viruses.
And even hand sanitisers containing 60% alcohol can’t remove all types of germs. Studies have found that hand washing is more effective than hand sanitisers at removing norovirus, Cryptosporidium (a parasite that can cause diarrhoea), and Clostridium difficile (bacteria which cause bowel problems and diarrhoea).
With shortages leading some people to try and make their own hand sanitisers, it’s also important to know these might not be as effective as commercially available products.
If hands are visibly dirty, hand washing with soap and water is more effective than using alcohol-based hand sanitisers. Research has found that the detergent effect of soap and the friction of washing work together to reduce the number of microbes on our hands, as well as the dirt and organic materials.
Sneezing or coughing into your hands also requires more than just a pump of hand sanitiser to disinfect them. This is because if your hands are contaminated with mucous, the hand sanitiser might not work as well because mucous acts to protect microbes.
As a result, the best and most consistent way of preventing the spread of the coronavirus – and reducing your risk of contracting it – remains washing your hands with soap and water as a first choice, and avoiding touching your face as much as possible." Unquote.
"THE DANGERS OF ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL"
https://blog.gotopac.com/2016/01/06/the-dangers-of-isopropyl-alcohol/
Summary extract quote "Isopropyl alcohol can enter the body three ways: ingestion, inhalation, and absorption.
Isopropyl alcohol inhalation occurs anytime you are around an open container, although working with reasonable amounts of IPA is generally safe, it can cause headaches. Inhaling large amounts of isopropyl alcohol can cause nausea, vomiting, irritation of the nose and mucous membranes, throat irritations, and even difficulty with breathing as coughing can occur making it difficult for you to catch your breath." Unquote.
FURTHER READING
"COVID-19: How soap annihilates a virus" 25 March 25, 2020 15:16 by Christian Borbon, Digital Content Producer.
Soap can destroy coronavirus from your hands before it can lead to infection
https://gulfnews.com/lifestyle/health-fitness/covid-19-how-soap-annihilates-a-virus-1.1585140805837?slide=1
Explained in picture form.
"A chemistry professor explains: why soap is so good at killing COVID-19"
12 Mar 2020 by Sean Fleming, Senior Writer, Formative Content.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/coronavirus-soap-covid-19-virus-hygiene
"WHY IS WASHING YOUR HANDS SO IMPORTANT, ANYWAY?" 6 Mar 2020 by Katherine J. Wu.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND HAND-WASHING
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-washing-your-hands-so-important-anyway-180974355/
Summary extract quote "According to the CDC, you should wet your hands—front and back—with clean, running water; lather up with soap, paying mind to the easily-forgotten spaces between your fingers and beneath your nails; scrub for at least 20 seconds; then rinse and dry. (Pro tip: If counting bores you or you’re sick of the birthday song, try the chorus of these popular songs to keep track.)
Done properly, this process accomplishes several virus-taming tasks. First, the potent trifecta of lathering, scrubbing and rinsing “physically removes pathogens from your skin,” says Shirlee Wohl, a virologist and epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University.
In many ways, soap molecules are ideal for the task at hand. Soap can incapacitate SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses that have an outer coating called an envelope, which helps the pathogens latch onto and invade new cells. Viral envelopes and soap molecules both contain fatty substances that tend to interact with each other when placed in close proximity, breaking up the envelopes and incapacitating the pathogen. “Basically, the viruses become unable to infect a human cell,” Permar says.
Alcohol-based hand sanitizers also target these vulnerable viral envelopes, but in a slightly different way. While soap physically dismantles the envelope using brute force, alcohol changes the envelope’s chemical properties, making it less stable and more permeable to the outside world, says Benhur Lee, a microbiologist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. (Note that “alcohol” here means a chemical like ethanol or isopropyl alcohol—not a beverage like vodka, which contains only some ethanol.)
Alcohol also can pe*****te deep into the pathogen’s interior, wreaking havoc on proteins throughout the virus. (Importantly, not all viruses come with outer envelopes. Those that don’t, like the viruses that cause HPV and polio, won’t be susceptible to soap, and to some extent alcohol, in the same way.)
As with hand-washing, timing matters with sanitizers. After squirting a dollop onto your palm, rub it all over your hands, front and back, until they’re completely dry—without wiping them off on a towel, which could keep the sanitizer from finishing its job, Jurado says.,
But hand sanitizers come with drawbacks. For most people, using these products is less intuitive than hand-washing, and the CDC notes that many people don’t follow the instructions for proper application. Hand sanitizers also don’t jettison microbes off skin like soap, which is formulated to lift oily schmutz off surfaces, Akusobi says.
“Soap emulsifies things like dirt really well,” he says. “When you have a dirty plate, you don’t want to use alcohol—that would help sterilize it, but not clean it.”
Similarly, ANYTIME the GRIT is VISIBLE on your HANDS, DON’T GRAB the HAND SANITIZER; only a FULL 20 SECONDS (OR MORE) of SCRUBBING with SOAPY WATER will do. All told, hand sanitizer “SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED A REPLACEMENT FOR SOAP AND WATER,” Lee says. “IF I HAVE ACCESS TO SOAP AND WATER, I WILL USE IT.” Unquote.
"Coronavirus envelope protein: current knowledge" 27 May 2019.
https://virologyj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12985-019-1182-0
Quote "The coronaviral genome encodes four major structural proteins: the spike (S) protein, nucleocapsid (N) protein, membrane (M) protein, and the envelope (E) protein, all of which are required to produce a structurally complete viral particle." Unquote.
"SARS-CoV-2 and the lessons we have to learn from it.
(SARS-CoV-2 is the virus. COVID-19 is the disease.)" 2 March 2020 by Edward Nirenberg.
https://medium.com//sars-cov-2-and-the-lessons-we-have-to-learn-from-it-e2017fd5d3c
"COVID-19’s Self-Replication Machinery Exposed to Drug Designers" 20 March 2020.
https://www.genengnews.com/news/covid-19s-self-replication-machinery-exposed-to-drug-designers/
Summary extract quote "Perhaps no part of COVID-19 is more vulnerable than its main protease. COVID-19 needs its main protease, which is called Mpro or 3CLpro, to form a viral replication complex.
This protease could be inhibited by an antiviral drug, provided the protease and the drug had complementary 3D shapes. Fortunately, the task of designing a drug that fits just got a little easier, thanks to a structural study completed by scientists based at the University of Lübeck.
The main protease is a key enzyme in the life cycle of the coronavirus, as it processes the huge polyproteins, into which the viral RNA is initially translated after it has entered the interior of the human cell. The protease cuts 12 smaller proteins out of the polyproteins, which in turn are components of the replication complex involved in copying the viral RNA genome.
“If we succeed in inhibiting the main protease,” Hilgenfeld explained, “we can thus stop virus replication.”" Unquote.
"Four ways to destroy coronavirus" 31 March 2020 by Compound Interest.
https://www.compoundchem.com/2020/03/31/destroy-coronavirus/
"Does Dettol kill the Coronavirus (COVID-19)?"
https://www.dettol.co.uk/about-us/understanding-coronavirus/
Summary extract quote "2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a new strain of coronavirus. It is not yet available for commercial testing.
Specific Dettol products have demonstrated effectiveness (>99.9% inactivation) against coronavirus strains from the same family as the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in third party laboratory testing, when used in accordance with the directions for use. These products are: Dettol Antibacterial Surface Cleanser Spray, Dettol Antibacterial Surface Cleanser Wipes, Dettol All-In-One Disinfectant Spray, and Dettol Disinfectant Liquid.
Given the structural similarities of the COVID-19 virus to the coronavirus strains tested previously (SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, Human Coronavirus), and based on the evidence available to us, we would expect our Dettol products (listed above) to be effective against the new strain. Definitive scientific confirmation of this, as with all other commercially available virucides, can only be provided once testing against COVID-19 Coronavirus has been conducted, following release of the strain by relevant health authorities.
The CDC and World Health Organization specifically advises people to wash hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer as a key preventative measure against the spread Coronavirus COVID-19. A good quality disinfectant will help reduce risk to families. Our Dettol Hand Sanitizers use ethanol (alcohol) as the germ disinfection active ingredient in line with CDC and WHO recommendations." Unquote.
