Hand sanitizer is damaging the eyes of more children, some seriously. See how to protect your child

Hand sanitizer is damaging the eyes of more children, some seriously. See how to protect your child

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Hand sanitizer distributors have appeared in shopping malls, schools, workplaces and public transport to facilitate hand disinfection. Yet, a consequence, documented in France, there were chemical injuries in children who accidentally received disinfectant in their eyes.

There were seven times as many cases among children of eye exposure to hazardous chemicals in hand sanitizer between April 1 and August 24, 2020, compared to the same period last year, according to data from the French Poison Control Center. Likewise, in the same period, 16 children were admitted to a pediatric ophthalmology hospital in Paris because their eyes were splashed with hand sanitizer, compared to just one boy in 2019. Two serious cases required surgery to transplant tissue into their hands. corneas.

The hospital cases were all in children under 4 years of age, and French researchers said the reason for this was probably because the gel dispensers are usually 1 meter tall. Although this is the waist level for most adults, it is at eye level for children.

“With the current widespread use of hand sanitizer in public places, it is not unexpected that young children are attracted to these dispensers, many of which appear to have been inadvertently designed to facilitate contact between the hand sanitizer and the eyes of young people “said Dr. Kathryn Colby, from the department of ophthalmology at the Grossman School of Medicine at New York University, in a commentary that accompanied the research. The study was published in the journal JAMA Opthamology on Thursday.

Hand sanitizers were responsible for only 1.3% of all incidents of exposure to chemicals in children in 2019, according to the French database. That number was 9.9% in 2020, and said that most cases were mild.

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The greatest risk for children, the research also suggested, could come from dispensers installed in public places. In 2020, 63 cases of exposure occurred in a public place, while none were notified in 2019.

Many hand sanitizers have a high concentration of ethanol, which can kill corneal cells.

In a related study published in the same journal, Indian doctors detailed the cases of two children who accidentally squirted a hand sanitizer in the eye, with serious consequences. The 4-year-old complained that she could not bear to look at the light, while the 5-year-old had lesions on the eyelid. Both children recovered fully after treatment with saline solutions and eye drops, but their doctors said it is necessary to consider the potential dangers of hand sanitizers in public places and schools.

The doctors recommended the following steps:

  • Promote hand washing with soap and water instead of hand sanitizer
  • Teaching and training children how to use hand sanitizers
  • Have separate distributors in stores and malls for children, preferably at a lower height (ie below face level)
  • Place caution signs next to disinfectant dispensers

Colby said that parents also need to make sure their children’s eyes are quickly examined by a medical professional if they are exposed to alcohol-based disinfectants, with early diagnosis and treatment that can reduce the long-term consequences of injuries. chemicals in the eyes.

“In an emergency, any clean liquid can be used to irrigate the eyes after exposure to chemicals, and the formulation of this effect can be considered as part of a warning sign,” she said.

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