Why hand sanitizers might be dangerous for kids

Many hand sanitizer vendors have added glitter, scents and dyes to the hygienic products, making them trendy and aromatic, but to kids, the packaging of the product can be tempting to ingest.

The American Association of Poison Control Centers said it has received more than 3,400 calls related to exposures to hand sanitizers by children 12 years and younger in the first two months of 2018.

The AAPCC is warning adults of the risk of alcohol poisoning in children who eat hand sanitizer because of their alcohol concentration.

The amount of alcohol in sanitizers ranges from 40 percent to 95 percent and most hand sanitizers contain more than 60 percent ethyl alcohol, according to the AAPCC, which is "a stronger concentration than most hard liquors."

In contrast, wines have between 10 percent and 15 percent alcohol concentration and beers have between 5 percent and 10 percent alcohol concentration. 

The AAPCC reports that while a child is unlikely to become sick after licking a small amount of hand sanitizer off their hands, a child who ingests more than just a taste could be at risk for alcohol poisoning.

Alcohol poisoning, according to the AAPCC, can cause confusion, vomiting and drowsiness, and in severe cases, respiratory arrest and death.

In 2017, there were 18,560 reports of child exposures to hand sanitizer.

In February alone, the AAPCC received 1,780 reports of incidents related to exposures to hand sanitizers by children 12 years and younger. 

According to the AAPCC, the term "exposure" means someone has had contact with the substance in some way -- ingested, inhaled, absorbed by the skin or eyes, etc. Not all exposures are poisonings or overdoses.

AAPCC has the following tips to prevent potentially harmful exposure to hand sanitizer: