Have you ever wondered if the constant use of hand sanitiser can pose a threat in some way or other? Well, this 50-year-old carpenter learnt it the hard way. According to a Times of India report, a man named?Ruban had lit a cigarette minutes after cleaning his hands with sanitiser and a spark fell on his shirt and triggered a fire.
A senior police officer who investigated the matter informed TOI that Ruban had reached his house at Pudhur in Ashok Nagar, Chennai, late after work and immediately used a sanitiser to clean his hands. While doing so, a few drops of it spilled on his shirt.? Even though a family member pointed it out, Ruban said he would change his shirt anyway after a bath and went to the bathroom.
Inside the bathroom, he lit a cigarette and in the process, some sparks fell on his shirt which caught fire.
His family members rushed in and took him to the Government Kilpaul Medical College and Hospital where his condition is now said to be critical. He has suffered burns to the face, neck, chest, abdomen and both hands, the officer further said.?
According to doctors, sanitisers evaporate 2-3 seconds after application and pose little direct threat but igniting a flame or lighting a cigarette immediately after using it can be risky.?
Dr. Sivalingam of a private hospital in Porur stressed that hand sanitisers, though absolutely essential at this time, need to be handled with care.?
He said, ¡°The high ethyl alcohol content of up to 62% makes a hand sanitiser highly flammable. Never use sanitisers near a fire or a heated place. It is always advisable to use a limited quantity and allow it to dry."
Be very careful out there.