There is an alert for parents about hand sanitizer, and it has nothing to do with keeping germs at bay.
Kids are apparently trying to get drunk off the liquid or drink it as dare from friends.
According to new analysis by the Georgia Poison Center, since 2010, poison control center hotlines across the United States have seen an 400 percent increase in calls related to children younger than 12 ingesting hand sanitizer. "Kids are getting into these products more frequently, and unfortunately, there's a percentage of them going to the emergency room," said Dr. Gaylord Lopez, the center's director.
The amount of alcohol in hand sanitizer ranges from 45 percent to 95 percent. Ingesting even small amounts, as little as two or three squirts in some cases, can cause alcohol poisoning. By comparison, wine and beer contain about 12 percent and 5 percent alcohol, Lopez said.