Hand Sanitizer Can Cause Alcohol Poisoning
Posted: Monday, June 11, 2007
by Stephany Springer
I recently received several emails warning me about the dangers of hand sanitizer. As a mom who can be seen regularly using Purell or the cheapest off brand, it alarmed me to read such stories.
The emails told of two separate instances in which a child ingested some hand sanitizer. The first email, written by Jennifer Moe, was written after her two-year-old had ingested hand sanitizer. She ended up with a blood alcohol level of .10, which is legally drunk. The second email was about a four-year-old who ended up in the emergency room after ingesting a little amount that was squirted in her hand by her teacher. According to snopes.com, both incidences are true. According to Snopes, "ingesting as little as an ounce or two of this product could be fatal to a toddler."
Hand sanitizer gels and wipes contain a considerable amount of alcohol. Purell and Germ-X both contain 62 percent Ethyl Alcohol. Unfortunately, hand sanitizer is not something that we as parents tend to think of as something to protect our children from.
One reason why children are more at risk of ingesting poisons is that children are naturally curious about everything. As a teacher, they tell you to teach to their senses. This is why kids can be easily misguided when exploring. Kids like to taste, smell and feel almost anything. It is how they learn. The sad truth is that children lack the experience to know the difference between poisons and more harmless substances. Most parents know the difference.
Hand Sanitizers do protect against germs, but parents should be diligent in teaching their children how to use the product and the dangers of it. Always keep out of reach of children and only use with adult supervision.
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)Good Article. I have never heard this and I use hand sanitizer, keeping two or three bottles here and there around the house and I have very young grandchildren continuously on the move looking for something they haven't investigated lately! Thanks for the info.Sandra-You are so welcome! Like I said it came as a shock to me as well! I use the stuff pretty often. Thanks for commenting! I appreciate so much!
Stephany, it is good to know this! I do not use the hand sanitizers but know so many who do. I've a girlfriend who appears to be addicted to it. I'll warn her. Great article! Thank you!Thanks Avis for the encouragement!
Per July 13 NBC Today Show-more than 12,000 cases of child related alcohol poisoning have been directly attributed to Purell and other alcohol-based hand sanitizer products. That doesn't include the number of teens that are actually guzzling the stuff to get a cheap high...A Canadian product called Soapopular--an alcohol-free hand sanitizer is getting lots of attention...kid safe, fragrance free, no dry hands...its a great product..and its available in stores throughout the US and on Amazon.. soapopular-usa
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