Fire Hazard Warning for 'Hand Sanitizer' Left Inside Vehicles During Summer

Products with Ethanol Content of 60% or Higher Are Classified as 'Hazardous Materials'

Flammability Test of Hand Sanitizer

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] As the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has made the use of hand sanitizers essential, caution is needed as storing hand sanitizers inside cars, where indoor temperatures can rise during summer, may cause fire or burn accidents.

The National Fire Research Institute announced on the 19th that since the main ingredient of hand sanitizers is ethanol, which is highly flammable, hand sanitizers should not be kept inside vehicles, and hands should be thoroughly dried after applying sanitizer before using any fire sources.

According to an analysis of 14 types of hand sanitizers requested by the Gunpo Fire Station in Gyeonggi Province last June, the ethanol content of two domestic and five foreign products exceeded 60%, classifying them as hazardous materials under the Hazardous Materials Safety Control Act. In particular, ethanol, the main ingredient of hand sanitizers, is highly volatile and can spread flammable vapors inside vehicles heated by radiant heat during summer, which can immediately lead to fire if ignition energy such as a lighter flame is applied.

Inside vehicles with elevated temperatures, plastic containers holding hand sanitizers can burst due to increased ethanol vapor pressure. If the contents get into the eyes of passengers, it can cause corneal burns. Therefore, care should be taken to avoid getting hand sanitizer in the eyes, and if it does get in, rinse the eyes with running water and seek emergency treatment at a hospital.

In March this year in Singapore, a housewife suffered third-degree burns on her hands and arms when flames from a stove ignited immediately after using hand sanitizer, and in July, a 5-year-old child in Daegu sustained corneal burns when the contents of a hand sanitizer container splashed while attempting to use it.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.