Blume Distillation Solves Hand Sanitizer Shortage
Santa Cruz County has been experiencing a severe shortage of hand sanitizer due to skyrocketing demand related to the Covid-19 Virus. Hand sanitizers are a convenient alternative to washing hands with soap and water and much more practical for on-the-go protection.
The entrepreneurs at Blume Distillation are stepping up to join the battle by making sure county residents have the natural and exceptionally effective sanitizer they need. Blume locally manufactures ethyl alcohol, one of three standard medical disinfectants approved for hand sanitizers. Ethyl-Alcohol (ethanol) is a potent killer of bacteria and viruses.
Ethanol is generally non-toxic to people, dependent on its level of consumption. Ethanol is made like whiskey, but from renewable plant raw materials like apple pulp, beet molasses, or berry waste. Around the world it’s the gold standard for sterilizing skin after cuts and scraps before bandaging.
The United States however is an exception to this general practice. Here in the States oil companies typically make a less expensive alcohol derived from petroleum and related to propane. That alcohol is called isopropyl alcohol and can readily be found in any drug store or pharmacy today. If someone were unfortunate enough to drink Isopropyl the results could be deadly as it is poisonous. In fact, if a child drank as little as an ounce (less than a shot glass) of Isopropyl (against the label cautioning “not for internal use”) it could cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and worse. Perhaps that would provide a use for all that toilet paper we’ve been hoarding, but nowhere near worth attempting.
Isopropyl is also very easily absorbed by the skin which is not dangerous the few times a year you might need a bandage. But repeated daily use, as in a hand sanitizer, can have serious health effects. Ladies, the regular use of isopropyl hand sanitizer causes defatting of your skin; think really deep wrinkles. It can also cause kidney damage, drowsiness, vomiting and nervous system damage.
Ethanol, does have a drying effect on our skin. TO solve this problem Blume engaged Santa Cruz-based herbalist and entrepreneur Paul Gaylon, Founder and Chief Herbalist at Herbal Products, a Santa Cruz naturopathic product producer for more than twenty years.
With Herbal Products assistance we have taken Blume’s pure alcohol and combined it with benefical add-ins such as aloe vera, vitamin E oil, hemp oil, and other ingredients to dramatically reduce skin dehydration and actually moisturize your skin.
From our trials we have determined that no Santa Cruz antibacterial, antiviral sanitizer would be complete without shiitake mushroom extract from local suppliers as well as Whiskey Hill Farms own CCOF certified locally ginger and turmeric extracts. As a final stage, our formula adds several potent, fragrant, bactericidal essential oils and of course colloidal silver. This combo knocks out bad actors with multiple actions in addition to the locally produced alcohol making gentle, but far more effective disinfection. Best of all Blume sanitizer includes no petroleum products!
Blume Distillation is ramping up to have commercial product available in April while the Monterey Bay Renewable Fuels 1 (MBRF1) plant currently under funding development in Watsonville, CA. will commercially produce volumes of this renewable, organic, pharmaceutical grade hand sanitizer as well as other high-demand, eco-and-health beneficial alcohol products/ These will all be made from locally available food and energy crop wastes. To learn how you can participate in owning part of this new essential industry call Tom Harvey Vice President at Blume (tharvey@blumedistillation.com), (831) 722-1012
UPDATE: Blume Sanitizer is available now, ORDER HERE!