Using Hand Sanitizer – Read the Science Behind the Recommendations (2024)

Why?Ethyl alcohol (ethanol)-based hand sanitizers are safe when used as directed, ²³ but they can cause alcohol poisoning if a person swallows more than a couple of mouthfuls ²⁴.

From 2011 – 2015, U.S. poison control centers received nearly 85,000 calls about hand sanitizer exposures among children ²⁵. Children may be particularly likely to swallow hand sanitizers that are scented, brightly colored, or attractively packaged. Hand sanitizers should be stored out of the reach of young children and should be used with adult supervision. Child-resistant caps could also help reduce hand sanitizer-related poisonings among young children ²⁴. Older children and adults might purposefully swallow hand sanitizers to become drunk ²⁶.