Coronavirus causes massive worldwide spike in number of kids poisoning themselves by eating hand sanitiser
THERE’S been a huge spike in kids needing treatment for poisoning after eating hand sanitiser during the coronavirus pandemic.
In the US, there’s been an 80 per cent rise in calls to poison centres about this toxic product - prompting health officials to urge manufacturers to make the alcohol-based cleanser less “palatable”.
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A Sun Online investigation has found that poison centres around the world have been kept busy cautioning parents to be extra vigilant while observing Covid-19 stay-at-home orders.
There has been a huge uptick in poisonings among youngsters in Texas, where the City of El Paso Department of Public Health reported a 70 per cent rise in calls about kids needing treatment.
Texan poison centres said the spike was due to children ingesting hand sanitiser, cleaning products and bleach solutions during the pandemic.
Hand sanitisers contain between 60-70 per cent ethyl alcohol - making it toxic to children, who may suffer from dizziness, or suddenly become drowsy if they consume the cleanser, advisers added.
Angela Mora, El Paso's deputy director of health, said: "While we continue to advocate for thorough and regular hand washing, the use of hand sanitisers, and product disinfection, we also want to make sure that residents are aware of how they use and store these items in their homes.
"We want especially that parents make sure to keep the hand sanitiser away from their children."
Drinking even a small amount of hand sanitiser can cause alcohol poisoning in children.
FDA
The , America's food and drug administration, said in an April 27 press release that "unfortunately, ingestion of only a small amount of hand sanitiser may be potentially lethal in a young child".
It added that calls to the US National Poison Data System last month about consumption of hand sanitiser "increased by 79 per cent compared to March 2019.
"The majority of these calls were for unintentional exposures in children five years of age and younger."
The FDA said: "This month, the agency received an adverse event report of a 13-year-old child drinking hand sanitiser packaged in a liquor bottle from a distiller.
"The sanitiser was not denatured (altered to taste bitter) and was reported to taste like normal drinking alcohol.
"To protect consumers, especially children, it is important to make hand sanitiser unpalatable."
The FDA said that toddlers may be attracted by the pleasant smell or brightly coloured bottles of hand sanitiser.
"Drinking even a small amount of hand sanitiser can cause alcohol poisoning in children," it added.
Australia
Health authorities in Australia have reported similar problems.
pointed out that some kids are confusing hand sanitiser for water: "an easy mistake with dangerous consequences".
Plus, some versions smell attractive to youngsters.
The organisation said while "hand sanitiser is an important tool in stopping the spread of Covid-19, there has been a spike in the number of calls due to hand sanitiser exposure incidents, mostly by babies and young children ingesting it at home".
With parents struggling to buy hand sanitiser, some have resorted to making their own versions or buying alternative products.
The centre said: "The shortage of hand sanitiser in supermarkets has led to the emergence of 'home-made' and unfamiliar products, which may be produced overseas.
"Some are appearing in large drink-type containers without child-proof lids, which can easily be mistaken for a water bottle!
"The ingredients in these products should always be listed on the bottle and contain more than 70 per cent alcohol.
"NSW is receiving many calls about accidental exposures to these products. Hand sanitiser is very harmful to children if ingested."
Why is hand sanitiser so toxic to children?
When it comes to the packaging of hand sanitisers, they can look very tempting to children as they come in bright colours and are possibly scented, says the .
Though a tiny amount of hand sanitiser that may have been licked from your hands is unlikely to make you become ill, ingesting more than a taste could put you at risk of alcohol poisoning.
Hand sanitisers will either be alcohol-based (ethyl alcohol or isopropyl alcohol) or non-alcohol based (benzalkonium chloride).
Isopropyl alcohol is commonly known as rubbing alcohol.
The concern for poisoning relates to the ethyl alcohol, also called ethanol.
It is the same alcohol found in beer, wine and other liquors, as well as perfumes, after shave lotions and mouthwash but at a much higher concentration.
The concentration of alcohol in hand sanitisers varies from 45% to 95% with the most commonly used in the range of 60-70%.
France
France’s for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety said that poison control centres have "reported numerous domestic accidents and poisoning related to Covid-19".
It's urged parents to “keep hydro-alcoholic (hand sanitiser) solutions out of the reach of children”.
Between March 1 and March 24 this year, 337 calls to centres were "related to exposure cases or requests for information associated with Covid-19.
"Several origins of risk situations have been identified by poison control centres: cleaners/disinfectants, hand sanitisers, essential oils and anti-inflammatories."
Children's Health Ireland (CHI) has reported that the number of kids admitted due to poisoning during the coronavirus lockdown doubled in March.
It said on April 10: "We know that children are inquisitive and adventurous and as a result are at risk of accidents and exposure to poisons."
Ireland's paediatric emergency departments "have noted an increase in children presenting with accidental ingestions of medicines and household items during the past few weeks.
"We would like to remind parents and guardians that all medicines, cleaning agents and hand sanitisers should be kept securely out of the reach of young children, as these can be very dangerous."
In the UK, families are also being told to move harmful cleaning detergents out of kids' reach, particularly as schools are shut during the coronavirus lockdown.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said: "There have been some reports in the UK of patients drinking alcohol-based hand rubs.
"This is clearly a concern."
Case study: poisoned toddler
A preschool-aged child was found unresponsive at home and transported to A&E by ambulance.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention () in the US said that a 64-ounce bottle (about two litres) of ethanol-based hand sanitiser was found open on the kitchen table.
The toddler became dizzy after ingesting an unknown amount, fell and hit her head, according to her family.
She then vomited while being transported to hospital, where she was barey responsive.
Her blood alcohol level was elevated at 273 mg/dL (most state laws define a limit of 80 mg/dL for driving under the influence).
But a brain scan didn't show any traumatic injuries.
The girl was admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit overnight.
After her "mental status improved", the toddler was discharged home after 48 hours.
Italy
Italy, which became Europe's original coronavirus epicentre, with more than 27,000 people dying and 200,000 infections, has had a massive jump in poisonings.
said that an alert was issued by the poison control centre of Milan’s Niguarda hospital, which specialises in the diagnosis and treatment of acute poisoning.
It reported that, in the month until March 26, "disinfectant intoxications have increased by 65 per cent, reaching peaks of 135 per cent in the under-five age group".
Dr Marcello Ferruzzi attributed the rise to the increased presence of disinfectants in homes, "both for cleansing the hands and for cleaning surfaces”.
These and other global poisoning stats were publicised well before US President Donald Trump attracted widespread scorn for suggesting Covid-19 patients be injected with ‘disinfectant’ and to treat coronavirus.
Tips to prevent harmful exposure to hand sanitiser
Hand sanitiser seems to be everywhere as families try to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
However, this has led to a rise in accidental ingestions by kids who have consumed the germ-killing liquid, which can be lethal.
That’s because the active ingredient in hand sanitisers is ethyl alcohol, and even a small amount of alcohol can cause alcohol poisoning or death in children.
The amount of alcohol in hand sanitiser ranges from 40 to 95%.
By comparison, beer contains five to ten per cent alcohol, and wine contains 10 to 15% alcohol.
To stop kids from being accidentally poisoned:
- Store your hand sanitiser with medicines and household products, away and out of sight in a cabinet where a child cannot reach them
- After using this cleanser, do not leave it out - put it away and out of sight
- Make sure your child only uses hand sanitiser under adult supervision
- Apply a dime-sized amount to dry hands and rub hands together until completely dry
- Tell kids to keep hands away from their faces, especially their mouths
- The best way to clean hands is hand-washing with soap and water
- This method removes most germs from the hands
- Hand sanitisers should only be used when hand-washing is not an option, such as when you don’t have access to water or soap
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