The University of Kansas Hospital Poison Control Center has handled 153 calls in 2015 involving children ingesting hand sanitizer, according to a news release from the hospital.
“Kids are getting into these products more frequently, and unfortunately, there are a percentage of them going to the emergency room,” said Tama Sawyer, the center’s director, in a news release.
Poison control centers across the country are receiving more and more calls involving children under 12 ingesting hand sanitizer.
The amount of alcohol in hand sanitizer ranges from 45 percent to 95 percent, according to the hospital’s news release. Ingesting even small amounts, such as two or three squirts, can cause alcohol poisoning.
Sawyer said in comparison, wine and beer contain about 12 percent and 5 percent alcohol respectively.
Watch the video below from the hospital to hear Sawyer explain why this is a concern, what parents should look for to see if their kids have been ingesting sanitizer and what parents can do to keep kids from getting into it.
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