Industrial grade isopropyl alcohol is usually used as an industrial solvent and as a raw material for cleaning materials.
In practice, it is used for a wide range of non-medical applications. This includes general purpose cleaning for printed circuit boards, inks, paint thinners, surface coatings, and as raw material for several household cleaners. Industrial or technical grade isopropyl alcohol is not approved for food, medical, and drug use since it is usually of low purity.
The difference between pharmaceutical grade and industrial grade isopropyl alcohol? Testing standards. The main difference is that, industrial grade isopropyl alcohols have toxic contaminants that would be inappropriate for skin applications. while, medical grade and cosmetic grade alcohols are acceptable for topical applications.
A chemical in an industrial grade alcohol may be manufactured using a method that is un-acceptable for human-use. For example, ethylene is used in the production of industrial ethyl alcohol. Ethylene is known as highly toxic and not suitable for human skin applications.
It is advised not to use industrial grade isopropyl alcohol since it does not meet the standards for skin application.
In sum, industrial grade isopropyl alcohol performs equally well as a disinfectant, but there is an associated risk in it since we do not know what trace contaminants it contains.