Plasma Hand Sanitizers

Interesting article on new sanitizers that clean hands better than soap and water in four seconds, using plasma (air that had been subjected to very high voltage). They are intended mainly for hospitals. It sounds promising, but I suppose it will be a while before we know what the effect of regular use will be on your skin.

The picture is of a culture made by putting a nurse's hand onto sterile agar and waiting 24 hours. It takes very vigorous washing to really make hands sterile, so medical personnel are often walking around with all kinds of bugs on their hands.