30cc Betadine Povidone-iodine a First Aid Antiseptic Solution.

As a germicide, Betadine was used in hospitals. In particular, surgeons swabbed an area on the patient before cutting. The stuff was very potent because of the germ killing properties of iodine. The only problem was the deep brown stain that was left behind upon drying.Betadine has been eclipsed by a better alternative - chlorhexidine gluconate. It is the ideal antiseptic skin cleanser - the "gold standard" in the opinion of numerous medical people. According to all available literature on the internet, a 2% solution kills a broad spectrum of micro-bacteria on contact. The chemical has a positive charge and binds to bacteria that is negatively charged. This electrical action weakens and disintegrates the bacterial cell membrane wall, thus destroying the organism. Because human and animal tissues are also negatively charge, the agent binds to the skin for the next five to six hours. As a result, the affected area inhibits bacterial growth.The antiseptic properties only affect organisms on the skin. ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY's "Penetration of Chlorhexidine into Human Skin" reported "poor penetration of chlorhexidine into skin following 2 min. and 30 min. exposures to chlorhexidine was observed." In other words, the agent is relatively safe because it does not penetrate the skin and get absorbed into human tissue or the blood stream and cause damage or toxic chemical reactions..A 2% solution is the recommended concentration to be used for surgical scrubbing according to EPIC and CDC guidelines. This maybe an overkill for consumer usage. As a skin cleanser, THE JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS NURSING reported that anything over a 0.5% concentration showed "no significant differences statistically, including persistent effects within 24 hours." A lower strength of 0.2% was just as effective according to INT. ENDED J. 2001. The only difference is speed. A 0.2% concentration takes 1 min. to completely kill E. Faccalis while a 2% concentration takes 30 sec..The cheapest 2% concentration is $9.60/gallon, sold by Aurora Pharmaceutical in Northfield, MN. This will make 10 gallons of germicide if diluted to a 0.2% concentration. If my math is correct, this comes to $0.12 per pint of germ killing solution - much cheaper than Betadine.