Alcohol based Sanitizer leads to Burn Injury

Alcohol based Sanitizer leads to Burn Injury

Yesterday night, a 44 years old male from Rewari, Haryana was brought to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital with 35 % burn injury due to use of alcohol based sanitizer.

Patient was at home and was cleaning his household things like keys , mobile phone etc . He was in the kitchen area while at the same time his wife was cooking the food in the kitchen . Suddenly , he spilled some sanitiser on his Kurta . The fumes from sanitizer reached the cooking gas and before any body could react , with in moments his Kurta caught fire.

The patient suffered burn injuries on his face , neck , front of chest , abdomen and both hands.

The patient is being treated by Department of Plastic and Cosmetic surgery , Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and his condition is stable.

According to Dr Mahesh Mangal , Chairman , Department of Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery , Sir Ganga Ram Hospital , “Although hand sanitizers are absolutely essential , we strongly advise that alcohol based sanitizers must be used very carefully . The high ethyl alcohol content in the product–up to 62% in some cases–makes hand sanitizer highly flammable and apt to lead to burns. One should never use sanitizers near fire area or any heating place . It should be used in sufficient quantity and allowed to dry “.