Current Pandemic has taught everyone a new fad ..YES!

Use it for anything and everything!

Nobody forgets to leave home without a sanitizer bottle in their hands which to some extent might be justified but not to the extent it is being used these days.This has led to its misuse as well as increase in accidental ingestion and poisoning in children.

Most children who get a “taste” or a “lick” of hand sanitizer experience only mild symptoms,as they taste bad and can result in a burning sensation, so most children will not swallow much.But If ingested in large amount(》100ml) it can result in dangerous symptoms .

Most hand sanitizer products contain over 60% ethyl alcohol, which is a stronger alcohol concentration than most hard liquors.
The CDC found that ingesting hand sanitizer caused vomiting, coughing, and stomachaches — and even comas and seizures in some rare cases.
First thing they do is lower the blood sugar level. That’s why the first treatment instruction after a child drinks alcohol, from any source, is to give something sweet to drink and contact health care professional at earliest.

How much ingestion is dangerous?

Ingesting several squirts of hand sanitizer will make a toddler intoxicated. Too much can lead to vomiting, liver damage, low blood sugar, seizures, coma and death.

Which hand sanitizers should my family avoid?
Which have been recalled by the FDA?

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has noticed an increase in the number of hand sanitizers that contain methanol, or wood alcohol, but which have been mislabeled as ethanol.
It’s very important to avoid these products: Wood alcohol is toxic when absorbed through the skin, and life threatening if ingested.

Adults should monitor use of hand sanitizer by children to ensure that the proper amount is used and that hands wet with sanitizer are not put in the mouth.

Avoid buying large containers of sanitizer. If a child only has access to a small bottle (30mL or less), they are less likely to ingest enough to result in harm.

What is the safer alternative to sanitizer?

The CDC recommends to wash hands with water and soap whenever possible for 20s as first line of defence. (Hand sanitizers don’t kill all germs, plus they can cause the germs to become resistant.

STAY SAFE HEALTHY AND HAPPY!

#Drdeepaaggarwal #Pediatrician #mayomhospitalgurgaon#sanitiserpoisoning#washhands#safesanitiseruse