Teenagers going to extreme, often dangerous, measures to get drunk is nothing new, but this really takes things to a new level.
Six young people ended up in a Southern California hospital with alcohol poisoning after chugging hand sanitizer…HAND SANITIZER!
Hand sanitizer contains 62% ethyl alcohol, making the liquid similar to that of taking a shot of hard liquor. According to reports, some of the teens said they did not drink the hand sanitizer straight out of the bottle, but distilled it to isolate the disinfectant’s ethyl alcohol, leading to a shot that can be three times as alcoholic as vodka.
Kids are getting the same buzz from something they can pick up in bulk at Costco, but it’s clearly much more dangerous. The ethyl alcohol is more highly concentrated in hand sanitizer, especially if it’s isolated, so just a few ounces of it can make someone very sick.
Doctors are seriously worried about this dangerous new trend, and suggest keeping an eye on disappearing hand sanitizers in your home.