The Hidden Danger in Hand Sanitizer

Every one knows to keep bleach, drain cleaner, and other harsh chemicals away from small children, but there is another common household item that many parents never even consider that can seriously injure a child if they ingest even a few ounces.

Millions of people use instant hand sanitizer, it is quick, convenient, and offers parents a way to clean their child's hands even if soap and water are no where to be found. But most types of hand sanitizer gel contain large amounts of alcohol, anywhere between 60-90%, and while this is why hand sanitizer does such a good job of killing germs, if small children drink even a few squirts they can be severely injured.

Two ounces of hand sanitizer has the same amount of alcohol in it as four shots of liquor, and any parent would be mortified to find out that their child had drank four shots of liquor. Aside from getting drunk, kids who drink hand sanitizer face other medical issues. The most obvious, alcohol poisoning, can occur more easily than one would think. A child that weighs 20-30 lbs would only need two ounces of alcohol to be over the legal blood alcohol limit for adults, and double or triple that amount can easily lead to poisoning. With large six or eight ounce bottles of hand sanitizer available, drinking the amount needed to cause alcohol poisoning is not out of the question.

Alcohol also causes blood sugar to drop, and in some cases plummeting blood sugar can result in death. The drop in blood sugar that results after consuming alcohol doesn't affect adults nearly as much as children and is one of the main dangers to a child. This sudden drop can cause confusion, irritability and in some cases seizures. A sudden drop in blood sugar also lowers body temperature which can be dangerous for a small child.

Poison Control Centers reported that almost 12,000 children under six ingested hand sanitizer last year. Only a little over 500 of these reported cases resulted in minor to moderate toxicity but poison control centers do warn that hand sanitizers can be dangerous to small children and should be stored accordingly. Parents should treat hand sanitizer like any other chemical and store it out of reach of children. Also, when applying hand sanitizer young children should be supervised.

Companies that produce hand sanitizer are taking action to make sure that children don't ingest it, by including additives that are bitter tasting in the gel. But even with these precautions nothing is better than proper adult supervision and proper storage.

Sources:

http://www.mnpoison.org/index.asp?pageID=287

http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm?g=ba833fa6-5a03-4659-b6ff-aae615f86fc5&t=m10&f=06/64&p=hotvideo_m_edpicks&fg=>1=10150

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_6237602