The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers is alleging school officials are putting students and staff at risk with non-alcohol based hand sanitizer, instead of the alcohol based stuff recommended by the Centers for Disease Control.

CDC officials recommend regular hand washing with soap and water to combat the spread of infectious diseases, including the coronavirus. “If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol,” the CDC suggests.

But in Philadelphia, district officials opted instead to purchase a non-alcohol based sanitizer to clean schools amid the coronavirus outbreak, and teachers quickly questioned whether the product – foamyiQLemon Blossom – is unnecessarily putting students and staff at risk, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

PFT officials told the news site the union began receiving complaints from teachers when the district distributed the sanitizer to 200 school facilities this week, and despite assurances from the administration the product is effective, union officials are not convinced.

“Our concern remains,” PFT representative Hillary Linardopoulos said. “And we have yet to see any evidence that it is as effective as alcohol-based sanitizers.”

“We just want to make sure our members are OK and obviously that our students are OK,” PFT spokesman Ben Bowen said.

The foamyIQ Lemon Blossom includes the active ingredient benzalkonium chloride. The company that makes it, Spartan Chemical Co. in Ohio, did not return messages from The Inquirer about its effectiveness.

Philadelphia school officials contend the district intentionally purchased the sanitizer without alcohol, and claim it works great.

“Due to safety and health hazards associated with alcohol-based products, such as substances being flammable and poisonous if ingested, the School District of Philadelphia moved away from using alcohol-based products in schools several years ago,” district spokesperson Monica Lewis said in a statement.

“The product we have placed in the schools is an effective alternative as part of an overall program of hand washing and building cleaning,” the statement read.

“The cleaning supplies used to aggressively wipe down high-touch items such as door knobs and stairwells several times throughout the day are products that have been approved to combat a number of infectious diseases, including COVID-19.”

The questions about the sanitizer come amid complaints from teachers in recent weeks about the district’s lack of preparedness for the coronavirus, from the money teachers are spending to keep their classrooms clean to a lack of hot water in some schools.

School officials met last week to devise a plan to better sanitize schools amid the virus outbreak, but educators in the district fear it may be too little, too late.

“I keep my surfaces as clean as possible, wipe down tables every day, and use sanitizer, but it becomes an expense, because the district doesn’t give us wipes or sanitizer for our classrooms,” North Philadelphia teacher Kirstin Luebbert told The Inquirer. “It’s just a worry — what’s the plan and how are we going to be safe?”

“We can teach our kids — especially the little ones — how to wash their hands,” said Arlene Kempin, the PFT vice president who attended the meeting. “But if you don’t have hot water and soap, what good is it?”

On Friday, district officials announced the closure of 63 schools for the next two weeks because of the coronavirus.