However, hygiene does not mean that every surface needs to be constantly disinfected. The human body naturally coexists with countless microorganisms, and a healthy immune system can cope with many of them. The key is to be especially vigilant in places where large numbers of people gather or where particularly vulnerable individuals need protection.
This is where disinfection comes into play. It is an essential component of modern hygiene practices and helps reduce the risk of infection.
Why Hygiene Is an Essential Part of Infection Prevention
Hygiene is particularly important in places where many people come together. These include hospitals, medical practices, care facilities, laboratories, cruise ships, and public institutions.
In such environments, pathogens can spread via hands, medical equipment, or frequently touched surfaces. Regular and targeted hygiene measures help reduce these transmission routes and better protect patients, employees, and visitors.
Travelers also benefit from professional hygiene standards in hotels, public transportation, and other public facilities. Many of these measures go unnoticed in everyday life, yet they play a crucial role in helping people travel safely.
LANXESS' Contribution:
Rely+On® Virkon® and Rely+On® PeraSafe®
Reliable hygiene requires effective and safe solutions. This is where specialty chemicals make an important contribution.
Among other products, LANXESS develops and manufactures active ingredients and solutions for professional disinfection applications. These are used in
- healthcare,
- laboratories, and
- other environments where high hygiene standards are essential.
One example is Rely+On® Virkon®, a broad-spectrum disinfectant used to disinfect hard surfaces. It is effective against a wide range of
- viruses,
- bacteria,
- yeasts, and
- fungi,
helping to break infection chains and create safer environments.
For the reprocessing of medical instruments, LANXESS also offers Rely+On® PeraSafe®. This product has been specifically developed for disinfecting reusable medical devices such as endoscopes and helps maintain high hygiene standards.
Thinking About Health Together: The One Health Approach
Hygiene and infection prevention extend beyond individual people. The One Health approach recognizes that the health of humans, animals, and the environment is closely interconnected.
Pathogens do not stop at the boundaries between these different areas of life. Infections can affect people, animals, and entire communities. That is why solutions are needed that address health from a holistic perspective.
LANXESS supports this approach with products and active ingredients for a wide range of health-related applications—from disinfection solutions to products for animal health and protection against disease-transmitting insects.
Hygiene Protects – On Vacation and in Everyday Life
Whether traveling or staying at home, practicing good hygiene helps people stay healthy. Regular handwashing remains one of the simplest and most effective preventive measures. Professional disinfection is particularly important in environments where the risk of infection is especially high.
Many of these solutions work quietly in the background, often without us even noticing them. Yet this is precisely what makes them so valuable: they help people travel safely, stay healthy, and enjoy their everyday lives with greater peace of mind.
Specialty chemicals often support our health in places where we least expect them and make an important contribution to protecting public health.
