Sapel Blog
The Hidden Harms of Using Alcohol the Wrong Way
We know that since COVID-19, alcohol has become very widely used as a disinfectant, and many parents use it to disinfect and protect their children. It is true that the FDA classifies hand sanitizers as over-the-counter (OTC) products, but is constant use of alcohol free of side effects? Can alcohol itself cause illness and health problems? In this article we look at exactly that:
Possible Side Effects of Alcohol
There are many types of alcohol. The most common include medical alcohol, also known as ethyl alcohol or ethanol; industrial alcohol, which is wood alcohol, known as methanol, and which can kill very quickly if inhaled or drunk; and finally antifreeze (ethylene glycol) and isopropyl alcohol. Industrial alcohols have industrial uses only and are packaged in plastic jerrycans; isopropyl alcohol is used to make glass cleaners, paints, soaps, lotions, hair sprays and cosmetics, and is even used in the printing industry.
Note that only medical alcohol is approved for disinfecting at home; other types are not approved at all because of the poisonings they cause. Another important point is that the best alcohol for disinfection is 70% alcohol, which kills germs more effectively than 100% alcohol.
The Harms of Medical Alcohol
But can ethanol, or medical alcohol, be used constantly without causing side effects? According to research by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the answer is no: even medical alcohol can cause problems, including dizziness, headache, blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, severe stomach pain and reduced alertness.
Precautions When Using Alcohol
According to the FDA, the problems caused by alcohol are probably due to the vapors given off by the disinfectant, and the side effects come from being exposed to these vapors in enclosed spaces. To prevent these problems, we recommend not using alcohol, or even hand sanitizer gel, in enclosed spaces with no ventilation. If you have to use alcohol or sanitizer gel in the car, roll the windows down to let air in. And remember not to keep alcohol in plastic bottles in the car, as it can start a fire.
Alcohol must never be swallowed, and even a small amount is very dangerous if a child swallows it, so keep alcohol in any form out of children’s reach. Research has shown that washing hands with soap and water has the same effect as disinfectants, and even removes some microbes that alcohol cannot kill. So with children, it is better to teach them to wash their hands well rather than giving them alcohol. Finally, we must stress again that methanol must never be swallowed: drinking it causes fatal poisoning and blindness.
Alcohol should be stored in bottles and jerrycans with caps that are completely liquid-tight and gas-tight, so packaging containers should be sourced from a reliable polyethylene bottle manufacturer such as Sapel.
Conclusion
As well as causing a variety of skin problems, alcohol can even affect the digestive system. To sum up, although alcohol and disinfectants can be a great help in disinfecting, you need to be careful how you use them and follow the expert advice we have covered in this article.
