44-year-old man gets 35% burns due to use of alcohol based sanitizer
A 44-year-old resident of Haryana's Rewari suffered burns as he went towards a cooking gas after applying sanitizer on his hands. The man suffered 35 percent burns on his body. He was rushed to Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on Sunday night where his burns were treated.
As per the official statement issued by the hospital, the man was doing some house chores in his kitchen while his wife was cooking. He accidentally spilled some sanitizer on his kurta while he was standing near the cooking gas. Within seconds, his kurta caught fire.
He has suffered burn injuries on his face, neck, front of chest, abdomen and both hands.
According to Dr Mahesh Mangal, Chairman, Department of Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, “Although hand sanitizers are absolutely essential, we strongly advise that alcohol-based sanitizers must be used very carefully. The high ethyl alcohol content in the product--up to 62% in some cases--makes hand sanitizer highly flammable and apt to lead to burns. One should never use sanitizers near the fire area or any heating place. It should be used in sufficient quantity and allowed to dry “.
