Georgia Poison Center sees sharp increase in calls about children ingesting hand sanitizer

Atlanta (WGCL) — Hand sanitizer has become a routine part of everyday life during the pandemic. While it protects us against germs, it can also be dangerous if it gets into the wrong hands.

The Georgia Poison Center reports a 60% increase in calls regarding ingestion of hand sanitizer from this time last year. The majority of calls involve children.

“We’ve had cases where they’ve gotten really sick, been going to the ER and in a couple cases we’ve had kids with measured blood alcohols over twice the legal limit,” said Georgia Poison Center Executive Director Gaylord Lopez. “They’re drinking a mouthful, a couple mouthfuls, we’ve even had cases of half a small bottle.”

Between March and September of this year the Georgia Poison Center received 613 calls compared to 383 during the same time period last year. Seventy percent of the calls involve children younger than 12. In that age group, there has been a 30% increase in calls.

Lopez said with no child resistant caps on bottles and some having appealing scents, parents can’t let their guard down.

He said, “Keep them up and away and keep them out of the reach of children because these are the ones that are most vulnerable, these are the ones we’re getting called about, we want to prevent that unnecessary ER visit because this is a poison that can actually harm you more than help.”

If you suspect a child swallowed hand sanitizer, Lopez said to call the poison center before doing anything else. He said in may cases an ER visit isn’t necessary, but a professional will walk you through what to do.

The Poison Control Hotline is 1-800-222-1222. Symptoms to look for in a child who may have ingested the alcoholic product include drowsiness, dizziness, and difficulty breathing.

WGCL