http://www.smartgroups.com/message/readmessage.cfm?
gid=1423922&messageid=8628&startid=8638
 
Hi all,
 
Purell is an alcohol based hand product.  It contains roughly 66%
alcohol.  Thus it would be similar to pouring rubbing alcohol on your
hands.  It does kill most "common germs."  This would include the
common germs on your hands like staph, strep, etc.  Does it do a good
job on E. coli, Salmonella, or Pseudomonas?  Probably not.  These are
the "uncommon germs" that pet stores should be worried about going from
the reptiles to the birds and small animals.  Likewise not too effective
against Chlamydia that can go from the small birds to those big,
expensive birds.  Better than nothing, but not the best way of
preventing bacterial, viral, and fungal infections.
 
Hope that clears things up,
Jerry Murray, DVM
[Posted in FML issue 4499]