Horrific stories have been reported on alcohol poison on children from drinking hand sanitizer amidst the coronavirus epidemic that intensifies.
The best way to get rid of germs, like COVID-19, is to wash hands with soap and clean water for at least 20 seconds. Use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol if soap and water aren't available. The alcohol content in alcoholic drinks varies from 5% to 40%.
Still, more cases of accidental exposures in children began to arrive at the National Poison Data System. There have been 46 percent more reported hand sanitizer cases in the first half of 2020 than in the same period last year. Most of the cases involved children aged 5 and under.
However, children may get alcohol poisoning from swallowing even a small amount of hand sanitizer. Alcohol or rubbing alcohol is used in many hand sanitizers (ethanol, ethyl alcohol, or isopropyl alcohol). Sleepiness, low blood sugar, seizures, and coma are also signs of alcohol poisoning, which can be fatal.
Children and adults have also been poisoned after using methanol or wood alcohol-containing hand sanitizer. No one should use hand sanitizers containing these items that have recently been recalled. If swallowed or applied to the skin repeatedly, methanol is poisonous. It can cause nausea, vomiting, headaches, blurred vision, blindness, seizures, coma, and permanent nervous system damage.
Here's how to keep your children from hand sanitizer poisoning risks
Even if most cases are minor, parents may prevent the hassle of having to call poison control or make an unnecessary trip to the emergency room by correctly storing sanitizer and supervising small children as they use it.
First and foremost, keep hand sanitizer away from small children and teach those big enough how to use it properly. You can safely store travel-size bottles of hand sanitizer in purses, diaper bags, backpacks, and vehicles. When children under the age of five use hand sanitizer, parents and caregivers should definitely supervise them.
Secondly, always check the label since, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) started encouraging companies that did not usually manufacture hand sanitizer to make and sell it. When purchasing hand sanitizer, parents can search for a label that contains the ingredients and any warnings or precautions.
Producers should add components that make hand sanitizers taste unpleasant to reduce the possibility of injury from children drinking them. This vital move assists in preventing children from consuming the substance. However, the FDA has been told that several young people have attempted to drink hand sanitizers from distilleries that have not gone to the trouble of making them taste bad.
Look for the word "denatured" on the bottle to ensure that the sanitizer's flavor would not appeal to children.
Recalled goods should also be disposed of. Hand sanitizers that have been recalled should not be flushed or dumped down the drain. If at all practicable, you should dispose of these materials in hazardous waste containers.
If your child has collapsed, is having a seizure, is having trouble breathing, or can't wake up after using or swallowing hand sanitizer products, call 911 right away. If you have any doubts about hand sanitizers' safety, contact your nearest poison control center at 1-800-222-1222 or go to WebPoisonControl.
