Isopropyl alcohol is readily absorbed through the skin, so spilling large amounts of IPA on the skin may cause accidental poisoning. Small amounts of IPA on the skin is generally not dangerous, but repeated skin exposure can cause itching, redness, rash, drying, and cracking. Prolonged skin contact may cause corrosion.
It Won't Lower Your Fever
It does make skin cooler to the touch, but today, science shows that alcohol is dangerous because it can soak into the skin and cause alcohol poisoning, coma, and even death, especially for babies and small children.
"Another important caveat is that even when used topically, isopropyl alcohol dehydrates the skin, and may even cause superficial burns. More importantly, damaged skin places you at higher risk for skin infections," says Dr. Glatter. As for liquor, again, most are not strong enough to clean your hands.
While 70% isopropyl alcohol makes a very effective disinfectant, the more concentrated version of 91% isopropyl alcohol also has some incredibly beneficial uses. This liquid can also be used to clean and disinfect surfaces, and it's safe to use on skin too.
The only downside of 99% isopropyl alcohol is that, understandably, it needs to be used and stored properly. In this concentration, it is highly flammable, may cause dizziness if used in high quantities in an ill-ventilated area, and can be an irritant to skin and eyes. Of course, it should also never be ingested.
Isopropyl alcohol and rubbing alcohol are not the same. Rubbing alcohol consists of isopropyl alcohol and some water. Sometimes it contains other additional ingredients. On the other hand, isopropyl alcohol is pure alcohol with little to no water and other ingredients.
People should never use pure isopropyl alcohol on their skin because it can pass through the skin and cause toxicity. If a person gets isopropyl alcohol on their skin: Remove any contaminated clothing. Wash the skin with lots of water and soap.
The only difference is that the 99% contains less water, and hence, is stronger (which you want). Most people use the 91% because the 99% is usually not easy to find.
EFFECTS ON HUMANS
The lethal dose of isopropyl alcohol is estimated as 160-240 ml (Ashkar and Miller, 1971) and 250 ml (McBay, 1973).
People should avoid inhaling large quantities of rubbing alcohol vapor, as this can have serious side effects. They should also avoid long-term use of rubbing alcohol on the skin.
Accidental, extensive wetting of the skin could occur in industrial situations and as isopropyl alcohol is absorbed readily through the skin, the additive effect of inhala- tion and skin absorption could have serious results.
Isopropyl Alcohol 70% is mainly known as rubbing alcohol. If you haven't heard of rubbing alcohol before you've probably walked passed it in the supermarket aisle in Australia known as Isocol. Rubbing alcohol can be used to clean makeup, disinfect wounds, kill mealybugs and many more uses.
One of the key uses of Isopropyl Alcohol 91% USP grade is as a disinfectant and cleaning agent. It is commonly used to clean and disinfect surfaces, equipment, and medical instruments. It is also used as a solvent in the production of cosmetics, personal care products, and pharmaceuticals.
Avoid using rubbing alcohol to clean wounds or other more serious injuries, since it can delay healing and lead to even more skin irritation. Also, skip using it on sensitive areas, like sunburned, dry, or otherwise irritated skin.
99% isopropyl alcohol is ideal as a solvent or cleaning agent for industries that produce water sensitive items, therefore rapid evaporation and low water content is favorable. 99% USP IPA provides the lowest presence of water and in some forms is free from denaturants.
If you are wanting to maximize their uses, each, for an approved standard disinfectant solution for bacteria and viruses, the thing to do is dilute each to a 70% solution with plain water. For example: use 7 parts of the 99% alcohol mixed with 3 equal parts of water to achieve a seventy percent solution.
The bottom line: Some alcohols are safe to use without any skin damage, but some aren't. As a rule of thumb, Dr. Hu says that skincare products with an alcohol content greater than 1% can be irritating or dehydrating for those with already dry skin.
Don't use rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide on wounds or to control oily skin or acne breakouts. They're not effective and they can damage your skin, making the problem worse. Just use soap and water to clean a wound, and for acne, use an over-the-counter product with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide.
70 percent alcohol is just the right proportion of water and alcohol to zap the entire cell. “Seventy percent alcohol has some water in it that allows it to cross a cell membrane, to really get into the bacteria to kill them,” Scott says.
TO MAKE A STANDARD SOLUTION (70%):
Dilute by adding 1 part water to 2 parts of this 99% Isopropyl Alcohol.
Rubbing alcohol treatment
Some people may help prevent swimmer's ear by putting a few drops of rubbing alcohol into each ear after swimming. Rubbing alcohol may help the ear dry out more quickly, but it will not treat the infection.