If something smells good, it probably tastes good too, right? It seems like a logical assumption, especially for a young child or even an older special needs child. That may be why several young children have licked the hand sanitizer off from their hands, after an adult placed it there, instead of just rubbing it in, to disinfect their hands. Only, the adults didn’t realize the children had eaten the hand sanitizer, until they figured it out, after the children became extremely ill.

The children were found to be severely lethargic, incoherent, and unable to focus their eyes. When the children were taken to the hospital, initial test proved inconclusive. However, when they decided to test for blood alcohol, they were found to have enough alcohol in their blood, to be considered legally intoxicated and may have suffered from alcohol poisoning as well.

Fortunately, these children recovered from their ordeals. However, the results could have been much different. Heidi Kuhl, a health educator at the Central New York Poison Control Center said, “Ingesting as little as an ounce or two of this product could be fatal to a toddler.” Web MD warns against intentionally ingesting hand sanitizers to become drunk or high because it is potentially fatal. If you have teenagers in your home, you need to be aware of this potential for abuse.

An article at Infection Control Today indicated that alcohol hand sanitizers can vary in the amount of alcohol they contain, ranging anywhere from 60 to 95 percent. However, the leading brands sold to the general public average 66 percent alcohol.

The Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for Ethyl Alcohol, Denatured (A407), says that if swallowed it may be fatal or cause blindness.

“May cause systemic toxicity with acidosis. May cause liver and kidney damage. May cause central nervous system depression, characterized by excitement, followed by headache, dizziness, drowsiness, and nausea. Advanced stages may cause collapse, unconsciousness, coma and possible death due to respiratory failure.”

So why haven’t alcohol based hand sanitizers been removed store shelves? Because they are very effective in reducing the spread of germs, and ultimately illnesses. The Center for Disease Control, (CDC) found that alcohol based hand sanitizers are effective in reducing gastrointestinal illnesses in the home. They also found that their use in elementary schools effectively reduced absenteeism.

An article in Infection Control Today contained the following positive information.

“Most alcohol hand sanitizer formulations offer excellent initial log reduction of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, fungi and multi-drug resistant pathogens such as vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).”

Photo Credit
Hoarding can be a Sign of Childhood Depression
Adopting Special Needs Children