The US Center for Disease Control and Reporting (CDC) comes from publish a report on accidents caused in children under 12 years of age after ingestion of alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
These hydro-alcoholic gels which have been found in all handbags and on all desks since the influenza A epidemic in 2010, are particularly effective for avoid the spread of viruses when you can’t afford to wash your hands with soap and water.
But to find a place in our handbags, more and more products display iridescent colors, which have sweet scents. In short, something to catch the eye of children and make them want to taste the contents of these little bottles.
Between 60% and 95% alcohol in gels
However, these hand gels contain between 60% and 95% ethanol or isopropyl alcohol.
Thus, more than 70,000 children under the age of 12 were exposed to this type of product between 2010 and 2014, underlines the CDC in its report. And more than 8,000 of them had to be hospitalized for abdominal pain and vomiting as well as seizures (3 cases) and coma (5 cases).
The American health authorities therefore recommend monitoring children when using these products, and never leave bottles of hydro-alcoholic gel lying around within the reach of small children’s hands.
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