Excessive use of sanitizer can prove to be fatal. Experts from the Mayo Clinic have warned that excessive use of sanitizer can lead to loss of eyesight and death. Children are at the greatest risk of this. The toxic chemicals present in the sanitizer can reach the body of children through the skin.
Mayo Clinic infectious disease specialist Dr. Gregory Poland says that if children use sanitizer more, their skin absorbs methanol. Last year, the US health agency CDC found 15 cases of methanol poisoning in Mexico and Arizona. In all these cases hand sanitizer was overused.
Of the 15 cases, 4 had died. 3 people had lost their eyesight. Experts say, avoid overuse of hand sanitizer.
Our skin is like a wall of bricks, says Dr. Abigail Waldman, a dermatologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Hand sanitizer protects us from viruses, but sometimes it gives clues in the same brick wall. In this way, it reaches the body. Due to the high alcohol content, it can also cause skin allergies.
According to experts, bacteria develop resistance on excessive use of sanitizer, as a result, it proves to be ineffective on them. If you are at home or in the bathroom, wash your hands with soap and water instead of hand sanitizer. Soap removes the stickiness from the hands, so the virus does not survive on the skin.
People in America have bought hand sanitizer in large quantities since the beginning of the epidemic. According to a Boston Globe report, sales of hand sanitizers increased by 620 times last year. Purell, the largest brand of hand sanitizer in the US, has expanded its production capacity to meet the demand. During the epidemic, there was a shortage of sanitizer in many places, so people ordered online.
