How effective is alcohol as a disinfectant for inactivating viruses?

[Monique]

From the CDC website: During this 10-day period, all members of the household with a SARS patient should carefully follow recommendations for hand hygiene, such as frequent hand washing or the use of alcohol-based hand rubs.

In the lab we always have to clean the surfaces to inactivate any Hepatitis viruses with a 10% bleach solution. Alcohol doesn't work, so why does the CDC recommend it?

 

[HazZy]

because most people don't want to look like michael jackson and I'm pretty sure alcohol kills SARS.

 

[iansmith]

Which hepatitis are you working with?

Alcohol acts on the protein by denaturing them and probably dissolve membrane lipids. Therefore the envelop and structure of the of the virus migth explain with some Hepatitis virus are not destroy by alchol whereas SRAS is destroy.

I think if the CDC says that alcohol can be used its because they probably tested. At least I hope they did, they are the one responsible for disease control.

 

[The_oMeGa]

Originally posted by iansmith
Which hepatitis are you working with?

Alcohol acts on the protein by denaturing them and probably dissolve membrane lipids.

Viruses have lipids?

 

[HazZy]

the envelope surrounding the virus is made from membrane lipids. some have envelopes, some don't. I am not sure about hepatitis.