We know you might be wondering “Why not an alcohol-based hand sanitiser?” Well, kids have a habit of putting their hands in their mouths at every given opportunity. And ingesting this sanitiser can cause poisoning. Mahmood et al. reported that the American Association of Poison Control Centre (AAPCC) 9504 alcohol-based hand sanitiser exposure cases in children under the age of 12 years in the first five months of the pandemic in 2020. They stated that even a small amount of alcohol can cause alcohol poisoning in children and this was accountable for confusion, vomiting and drowsiness and in severe cases, respiratory arrest and death. 6 Mahmood et al. mentioned that the AAPCC, 2020 recognised that the quantity of hand sanitisers should be considered before they can be supplied. 6 Dispense and supervise the application of hand sanitizer until you can be sure your child will not:

RELATED: Stop Using These Hand Sanitizers Immediately, Says FDA Keep Products Like Hand Sanitizer Out of Reach These reagents are 100% effective in killing the coronavirus but are toxic and may lead to serious complications and sometimes death if ingested. 3 The regular use of ethanol-based sanitisers has shown to be harsh on the skin, resulting in skin irritation on the hands. 6 However, Kramer et al. reported that the regular use of ethanol has no side effects on the skin and that it was safe to use in adults, and this was based on their findings that showed that the concentration of alcohol absorbed through skin is less than the toxic level for humans. 9Until they are mature enough to use hand sanitizers safely, though, children should only use them under the supervision of adults. Some doctors say it’s fine to use hand sanitizers on babies, while other doctors disagree, saying it’s not safe. You can ask your pediatrician to weigh in on your baby’s usage of it since they know your baby’s health history. Or, you can opt to skip it for your baby and focus on handwashing only. From a germ standpoint, hand sanitizers are not as effective as regular soap because they do not affect the virus’s outer layer as much. When soap and water are not available, using a hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol is the next best thing (3). The contaminated hand sanitizers are a different story. Just a sip of methanol-tainted hand sanitizer can cause poisoning in a small child. Long-term chronic use on the skin could also be a problem for both adults and children. The likelihood of toxicity must be considered on a case by case basis. A taste of benzene-contaminated hand sanitizer would be unlikely to cause any immediate symptoms. There is no way to predict whether an individual person exposed to benzene this way would go on to develop long-term health effects. Prevention is best since benzene is known to be harmful. Alcohol-based sanitisers are composed of ethanol or isopropyl, distilled water, octenidine dihydrochloride and phenoxyethanol. 5 Some sanitisers may be composed slightly differently with ethanol and isopropyl and aminomethyl propanol. 6 The concentrations of ethanol vary with different companies. Some may contain 60% – 95% alcohol, whilst many contain 70%. 6

It’s easy to leave potentially dangerous traces of ingredients, or the final product, around your home when you’re mixing it up. This makes it easier for the homemade hand sanitizer to be ingested. In March 2021, a contaminant called benzene was detected in several hand sanitizer brands across multiple production batches. Benzene is a chemical known to cause leukemia. The RBR legflow is a plastic two-dome shaped object that sits underneath your feet and you perform exercises on it while seated. According to the company, it has been Clinically-tested to increase blood flow in the lower limbs ten fold, and is registered with the Medicines Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

References

As guardians and parents, it’s within our natural instinct to keep our kids protected always, whether they’re right by our side, a foot away, or as far as a thousand miles away. But with the novel coronavirus still out there and kids returning to school, there’s only so much we can do. However, by taking the right precautions such as choosing an alcohol-free hand sanitiser , disinfecting their stationery sets, and providing them with a good nose mask. But not to worry, there are several other effective and safe hand sanitisers you can get for your kids without putting them at risk. Let’s show you how to select the safest options.