Is hand sanitizer safe for children?

[ChefBeckyD]

Just got this email from a host/friend.......I did check it out on Snopes.com too - it's for real!!!


http://snopes.com/medical/toxins/sanitizer.asp




This one is true on snopes.com




Ok. I don't know where to begin because the last 2 days of my life have

been such a blur. Yesterday, My youngest daughter Halle who is 4, was

rushed to the emergency room by her father for being severely lethargic

and incoherent. He was called to her school by the school secretary for

being "very VERY sick." He told me that when he arrived that Halle was

barely sitting in the chair. She couldn't hold her own head up and when he

looked into her eyes, she couldn't focus them.




He immediately called me after he scooped her up and rushed her to the ER.

When we got there, they ran blood test after blood test and did x-rays,

every test imaginable. Her white blood cell count was normal, nothing was

out of the ordinary. The ER doctor told us that he had done everything

that he could do so he was sending her to Saint Francis for further test.




Right when we were leaving in the ambulance, her teacher had come to the

ER and after questioning Halle 's classmates, we found out that she had

licked hand sanitizer off her hand. Hand sanitizer, of all things. But it

makes sense. These days they have all kinds of different scents and when

you have a curious child, they are going to put all kinds of things in

their mouths.




When we arrived at Saint Francis, we told the ER doctor there to check her

blood alcohol level, which, yes we did get weird looks from it but they

did it. The results were her blood alcohol level was 85% and this was 6

hours after we first took her. There's no telling what it would have been

if we would have tested it at the first ER.




Since then, her school and a few surrounding schools have taken this out

of the classrooms of all the lower grade classes but what's to stop middle

and high schoolers too? After doing research off the internet, we have

found out that it only takes 3 squirts of the stuff to be fatal in a

toddler. For her blood alcohol level to be so high was to compare someone

her size to drinking something 120 proof. So please PLEASE don't disregard

this because I don't ever want anyone to go thru what my family and I have

gone thru. Today was a little better but not much. Please send this to

everyone you know that has children or are having children. It doesn't

matter what age. I just want people to know the dangers of this.




Thank you

 

[chefkristin]

Wow-thanks for sharing! That is terrible!

 

[AJPratt]

I have a friend who is a chiropractor that says the germs are better for you than the sanitizer!

 

[amy07]

how scary!! I'm forwarding this to DH - he's a fanatic about the hand sanitizer - I'm always telling him to lighten up that's ok for the kids to build up a natural resistance - but this is too scary!!

 

[chefann]

I neveer even thought of someone consuming it, but then I don't have curious children at home, either!

Another thing to consider is that the bacteria that do survive sanitizers and anti-bac products are stronger and become resistant to them. That's why there are "super bacteria" (I'm now picturing one wearing a cape) that are resistant to antibiotics and other things.

 

[Admin Greg]

Consider the source, not sure how credible "snopes.com" is. Talk to your doctor before throwing out all your hand sanitizer. Afterall, you can die from just about everything, even water!

btw, read some more and it's from ingesting. Who is ingesting hand sanitizer? Might as well throw out every cleaning product in your house including hand soap if your worried about someone "ingesting" hand sanitizer.

 

[chefann]

Snopes is pretty credible. They research a lot of urban legends and "viral" email stories. I'd trust them before I trust any forwarded email that was sent to me.

And it makes sense, anyway. Hand sanitizers are mostly alcohol. The bottle of it I have on my desk here at work indicates that it's 60.6% denatured alcohol, which translates to 121.2 proof (if it were a beverage).

 

[Admin Greg]

And it makes sense, anyway. Hand sanitizers are mostly alcohol. The bottle of it I have on my desk here at work indicates that it's 60.6% denatured alcohol, which translates to 121.2 proof (if it were a beverage).

Sure it makes perfect sense, but isopropyl rubbing alcohol has been abused for many many years and no one is freaking out it. I think this is a nonstory created to cause hysteria and fear mongering. Why are people surprised when someone dies from ingesting a chemical cleaning agent? Would anyone be suprised if the story was about a kid drinking bleach?

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Consider the source, not sure how credible "snopes.com" is. Talk to your doctor before throwing out all your hand sanitizer. Afterall, you can die from just about everything, even water!

btw, read some more and it's from ingesting. Who is ingesting hand sanitizer? Might as well throw out every cleaning product in your house including hand soap if your worried about someone "ingesting" hand sanitizer.

Ummm, Greg - not to flame you or anything - but if you had toddlers - you would probably be more concerned! Toddlers have been known to ingest just about anything, especially if it smells good - and hand sanitizer is one thing that most moms use with their children, so it may not be locked up like almost all other cleaners are in my house......and I'm thinking that if middle-schoolers will "huff" room deoderizer or hairspray to get high - what's gonna keep them from licking some hand sanitizer for the same effect?

 

[4kids4me]

This was in the news not that long ago. True that just about "anything" can kill you, but many parents see the hand sanitizer as fairly inocuous (sp?), so it's often left out where kids can get it. I had a nurse bring me a huge container of it to keep on my changing table! I was told to put it on the kids hands after diaper changes, even though they suck their thumbs or fingers. (That was before the warnings came out). So I think the lesson learned is to keep this stuff far away from kids. I use it sparingly, only when we're out and about and away from a sink. Otherwise, at home, it's soap and water.

 

[chefann]

Sure it makes perfect sense, but isopropyl rubbing alcohol has been abused for many many years and no one is freaking out it. I think this is a nonstory created to cause hysteria and fear mongering. Why are people surprised when someone dies from ingesting a chemical cleaning agent?

The problem is not that sanitizer is a cleaning agent, but that the nice fragrances that are added increase the likelihood of consumption. Kids won't drink rubbing alcohol because it smells nasty. But I've seen sanitizer aimed at kids that smells like berries or bubble gum. It's just too tempting.

Same thing with medicines that are flavored so that kids will take them. They taste so good that kids are more likely to seek them out on their own and overdose on them.

 

[baychef]

If you read the bottom part of the snopes article, you will find that most id not all hand sanitizers contain 62% Ethyl alcohol... and that there is a warning to keep out of reach of children on the label. Of course it can be harmful to children. It's almost like carrying pure alcohol around with us only in a gel form.
Like Greg said, even too much water can kill us!

One e-mail I have gotten like this which disgusts me is the one to women about washing their bras before they wear them. PLEASE!! I beg you...delete this stupid and disgusting e-mail and don't even open it. I feel I have a strong stomach and just about lost it all. The pictures attached are just aweful.

If I knew it was, what I call a "chicken little e-mail" (the sky is falling) I would have just deleted it. I thought is was a joke. Whoever sits there and makes these lies up needs serious help. Ok....I'm jumping off my soap box now!!

 

[Admin Greg]

Ummm, Greg - not to flame you or anything - but if you had toddlers - you would probably be more concerned! Toddlers have been known to ingest just about anything, especially if it smells good - and hand sanitizer is one thing that most moms use with their children, so it may not be locked up like almost all other cleaners are in my house......and I'm thinking that if middle-schoolers will "huff" room deoderizer or hairspray to get high - what's gonna keep them from licking some hand sanitizer for the same effect?

Sure, but the reality is that a kid can find a way to inflict harm on themselves with anything. You can't bubble wrap the entire house... I just don't agree with creating hysteria about a product based on one very rare occurance. If this were happening all over the country then I would agree something should be done. If a middle school aged kid really wants to lick some hand sanitizer they will goto the store and buy some if the teacher locks up her in the desk. If the world bans sand sanitizer because a few kids decided it was a good idea to lick it, then kids would move on the next thing, like laundry detergent... you name it. It's about good parenting, not banning relatively harmless products.

 

[Admin Greg]

The problem is not that sanitizer is a cleaning agent, but that the nice fragrances that are added increase the likelihood of consumption. Kids won't drink rubbing alcohol because it smells nasty. But I've seen sanitizer aimed at kids that smells like berries or bubble gum. It's just too tempting.

I can understand this point, sanitizer smelling like berries or bubble gum is not a good idea.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Sure, but the reality is that a kid can find a way to inflict harm on themselves with anything. You can't bubble wrap the entire house... I just don't agree with creating hysteria about a product based on one very rare occurance. If this were happening all over the country then I would agree something should be done. If a middle school aged kid really wants to lick some hand sanitizer they will goto the store and buy some if the teacher locks up her in the desk. If the world bans sand sanitizer because a few kids decided it was a good idea to lick it, then kids would move on the next thing, like laundry detergent... you name it. It's about good parenting, not banning relatively harmless products.

Okay - now I wouldn't usually reply to something like this - but to talk about good parenting when you aren't a parent???? THAT is wrong! I don't believe the whole gist of this was to ban hand sanitizer - or to cause mass hysteria - it was to make people aware, so they can take the proper precautions, and keep it away from kids.....I see it all over the place, just sitting out - alot of people keep it sitting on their counter where children have easy access to it - and it would only take one time.....it's not silly or hysteria to be aware of potential dangers in your home - THAT is good parenting!

 

[Admin Greg]

Okay - now I wouldn't usually reply to something like this - but to talk about good parenting when you aren't a parent???? THAT is wrong! I don't believe the whole gist of this was to ban hand sanitizer - or to cause mass hysteria - it was to make people aware, so they can take the proper precautions, and keep it away from kids.....I see it all over the place, just sitting out - alot of people keep it sitting on their counter where children have easy access to it - and it would only take one time.....it's not silly or hysteria to be aware of potential dangers in your home - THAT is good parenting!

I think I'm entitled to have an opinion on parenting because of course I was "parented" not so long ago and I think parented quite well To me, and obviously this is just my opinion, but this seems like a fairly arbitrary and obvious thing to make an alert about. If a kid swallows a crayon, chokes and dies, will you be making the same kind of alert? I see kids playing with crayons in their mouths all the time. Or I see high school students making pen ink tatooes all over their arms. To me that seems just as likely and warranting of an alert as this hand sanitizer.

Now if it seems I'm attacking you or putting your good intentions down, I hope you don't see it that way. Maybe it's the fact that you got this story through email and many spam email hysteria campaigns are started like this and formatted the same way. But the fact that your title is very alarming and that you don't offer any objective commentary on the story on an alternate opinion/side makes me want to be the "devils advocate".

 

[Teresa Lynn]

I haven't seen the article on washing your bras before wearing them (& I'm sure I don't want to) But, the OCD behavior in me wahes EVERYTHING including my sons and husband packaged underwear & socks before they are worn... I surely can't be the only one with that "disorder"!!

 

[Admin Greg]

I haven't seen the article on washing your bras before wearing them (& I'm sure I don't want to) But, the OCD behavior in me wahes EVERYTHING including my sons and husband packaged underwear & socks before they are worn... I surely can't be the only one with that "disorder"!!

I wouldn't say that is a disorder, I often do the same. I don't really trust the factories in other countries, or ours, to be completely clean.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

I think I'm entitled to have an opinion on parenting because of course I was "parented" not so long ago and I think parented quite well To me, and obviously this is just my opinion, but this seems like a fairly arbitrary and obvious thing to make an alert about. If a kid swallows a crayon, chokes and dies, will you be making the same kind of alert? I see kids playing with crayons in their mouths all the time. Or I see high school students making pen ink tatooes all over their arms. To me that seems just as likely and warranting of an alert as this hand sanitizer.

Now if it seems I'm attacking you or putting your good intentions down, I hope you don't see it that way. Maybe it's the fact that you got this story through email and many spam email hysteria campaigns are started like this and formatted the same way. But the fact that your title is very alarming and that you don't offer any objective commentary on the story or alternate opinion/side makes me want to be the "devils advocate".

Yes, I was also parented well, but since, having become a parent, I realize:

1. The incredible responsibility I have to raise a healthy well-adjusted child, and the fact that I only get one chance to do it......never really thought of that til I became a parent.

2. The intense and very real pain that I feel if my child is hurt in some way - and the lengths to which I will go to prevent physical harm to my child - including putting myself in the way if need be.

What I find offensive is the following statement:

If a kid swallows a crayon, chokes and dies, will you be making the same kind of alert? I see kids playing with crayons in their mouths all the time.

I am not someone who pays alot of attention to most internet "alerts" - but this one I checked out, and it proved to be true.

As a parent, I am well aware of the other dangers you mention - as are, I would imagine, almost all parents. (choking on crayons, household cleaners, etc....) And I have already taken measures to protect my child from these household dangers. This was a warning about a product that I KNOW most parents use, and never think a thing about the potential danger. So it wasn't hysteria - or even misinformation - it was a concerned parent letting other concerned parents know and take appropriate measures for their own children's safety.

 

[baychef]

Okay - now I wouldn't usually reply to something like this - but to talk about good parenting when you aren't a parent???? THAT is wrong! I don't believe the whole gist of this was to ban hand sanitizer - or to cause mass hysteria - it was to make people aware, so they can take the proper precautions, and keep it away from kids.....I see it all over the place, just sitting out - alot of people keep it sitting on their counter where children have easy access to it - and it would only take one time.....it's not silly or hysteria to be aware of potential dangers in your home - THAT is good parenting!

I really don't think Greg was saying that you were not a good parent. I understand it as being more reflective of some of the hysteria e-mails that we get bombarded with everyday. I have actually made people angry at me because I hit reply and the link to snopes which tells them what they sent me was not true. Why be mad at me? I'm trying to stop the junk.

Also, as a parent of a now 17 year old...I can tell you that even responsible parents have many things that have the potential of being hazardous to children all over our house. Riding in the car with them safely buckled in their car seats can be dangerous. My son once went with his grandfather on a tractor ride on July 4th. My Dad felt sorry for him because his older cousins were gone and not around to play with him. My Dad brought him home in a panic. My son's eyes were swollen shut...they had checked the hay and we didn't realize that he was allergic. We bathed him to remove the pollen and gave him benadryl and watched him closely.

I just read Greg's response and I think he is reacting to what I react to. It is not a personal attack on you or anyone and your intentions are purely good for protecting children. It is those e-mails that bother me... warning us of the most impending dangers. If it is a true and immediate warning, it will be in every paper and news program...like the fresh spinach and e-coli outbreak last year. (right after the important stuff...like Rosie's lastest remarks!!)

 

[AJPratt]

The funny thing is that many what we consider to be the "safe" products can also be very dangerous (like mouthwash).

I haven't seen the article on washing your bras before wearing them (& I'm sure I don't want to) But, the OCD behavior in me wahes EVERYTHING including my sons and husband packaged underwear & socks before they are worn... I surely can't be the only one with that "disorder"!!

Oh, I wash everything mainly becuase I worked retail and saw what would happen to the clothes before they get to the rack or customer. LOL

 

[AJPratt]

Becky: Its is so hard to convey emotion through email. I can see what would upset you in Greg's post, I really don't think he meant to offend you. I agree with Ann E., that he was proably being more reflective of some of the crazy emails we all see.

I am glad that you posted the info about hand sanitizer. It serves as a good reminder for all of us, and I appreciate that you thought enough to share it. I am not a parent, but my brother and his family, a 5 y.o. and 8 month old are living with us, until their new home is built and I have gotten a crash course on child-proofing the home.

 

[Teresa Lynn]

ok, Anne spill it what happens to them????

 

[jrstephens]

ok, Anne spill it what happens to them????

I may not want to know b/c I am bad about not washing first if it is in my closet and I am ready to wear it!

 

[MissChef]

Okay, I'll jump on the curious wagon too! spill it Anne! It's killing me over here!

 

[chefann]

ok, Anne spill it what happens to them????

I haven't worked retail, but a former coworker of mine did (her 2nd job) and she had horror stories of women returning supposedly unworn undergarments (bras AND panties) that had very clearly been worn - dirt on straps, etc. And don't forget the folks who try things on after removing their undergarments. YUK!

 

[Teresa Lynn]

so, does anyone else wash a glass as soon as their family is finished with it??

I make my family insane I can't stand glasses sitting around & have to put them in DW!!!

I also wash my kitchen towels and dishcloths separately from my bath towels
Can't stand the thought of drying a dish with a towel thats been in with towels that touched certain body parts!! for the record I wash towels in hot water on my sanitize cycle but still have separate loads!

 

[AJPratt]

Oh yeah, people return NASTY worn stuff ALL THE TIME, but usually that gets debited and sent to charity. Stinky stuff, too! Pet smells, pet hair, cigarette odors (to the smokers: sorry for that), nasty closet and funky house in general smells. I have seen stuff drug through the store on the floor and then steamed to get rid of the wrinkles. I have seen customers wipe themselves with stuff off of the racks. Do you need those details? LOL I can assure you its much worse that your imagination. LOL I once had a lady take a crap in the fitting room and clean herself up with the clothes she took in. Then, corporate made us save them before we could debit them. They did not go to charity, they went in the trash. People will use clothes to clean things off (mirrors, dust, etc), it can be pretty bad. Sometimes the color from the dye, will color your skin, too if you don't wash them first.

Sorry for the hijack!

 

[TwinGirlsMom]

If the truth be told, most of our American household cleaning supplies--including hand sanitizers--include chemicals and toxins that are hazardous to our health. And these huge companies do little to no testing on human health hazards, only on how effective they are in getting something clean. I could get on my own soapbox and go on and on about this! This is why I've recently thrown out <insert any common household cleaner here> and switched to all-natural, safe, nontoxic cleaners.

 

[RuthV]

I took microbiology in college(sure it's been 12 years). Trying to totally sanitize our enviroment is not a good thing. Some bacteria are good for us. Dealing with some viruses and bactrium is good for the immune system. Several doctors and nurses I've talked to say just washing our hands with soap and water thoroughly throughout the day is better than using hand sanitizers because the alcohol in the sanitizers dry the skin out fast and can lead to skin cracking. That allows more germs past the body's first line of defense....the skin. As a former cake decorator, it's second nature to me to wash my hands thoroughly pretty frequently. I don't allow hand sanitizer in the house and am very selective about what kinds of cleaning products I use.

 

[baychef]

Okay, I'll jump on the curious wagon too! spill it Anne! It's killing me over here!

Curiosity killed the cat you know!! Seriously, the pictures were of women's breasts that had various stages of a flesh eating disease and other out of control infections and open wounds.

The e-mail was supposedly originated when a woman wore a bra that happened to have gotten infected with a flesh eating disease or worm from the toxic water generated from Hurricane Katrina. Apparently ONCE this happened to a woman that lived in a third world type country.

Hopefully that will satisfy all of your curiosity. I know it is hard to not look...like passing a bad accident, but you seriously can live without seeing the pictures. Just delete the damn e-mail if you see the title!!

And thanks for the heads up on the clothes we buy from stores...YUK!!!! People just amaze me sometimes!! At least I think that's what they are called?!?!

 

[chefann]

Thanks, Ruth. You stated very well what I was trying to drive at in an earlier post.

 

[AJPratt]

This is why I've recently thrown out <insert any common household cleaner here> and switched to all-natural, safe, nontoxic cleaners.

I read an article about John Travolta's family. One of his kids got sick from some cleaner they used on their carpet. I read how they mainly use vinegar/baking soda/lemons to clean and I made HUGE changes here because of it.