Hand sanitizer has become a big part of our lives. Chances are, if you've bravely ventured into stores like Home Depot, you've probably seen huge displays of it, front and center. While it's reportedly not as great as washing your hands with soap and water, it's a great alternative if you happen to be traveling or out of the range of a sink.
That said, it's important to remember that the key ingredient in hand sanitizer is alcohol. And most alcohols are highly flammable.
Reportedly, back in the day, tavern owners used to test the strength of the whiskey that salesmen brought in by lighting it on fire. According to VinePair, "If the whiskey caught fire, it was proof that it wasn't watered down — meaning cask strength, or between 50 and 60 percent alcohol by volume."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is currently recommending hand sanitizer to be at least 60% alcohol, which is likely one reason that explains just how this horrific story took place. A mom used hand sanitizer right before lighting a candle, and her house caught on fire. She, herself, has been badly burned.
It happened to Kate Wise from Austin, Texas. The mother of three got her children to safety before thinking of herself.
Kate's two youngest children were able to flee the home without any injuries. However, Kate stayed back to ensure that her teenage daughter, who has cerebral palsy, got to safety. "I knew even in the chaos of things that she wasn't going to be able to save herself," Kate said, per Good Morning America.
But that didn't mean her two youngest still weren't in a panic. Kate reportedly used an off-brand hand sanitizer, which has been quite normal this year. Due to the initial shortage of sanitizers from companies who are known to produce them, several other companies stepped in to create their own sanitizers. People have also tried making their own at home, with rubbing alcohol and aloe.
"The explosion happened in a matter of two seconds with my entire body on fire," she told ABC News, per Good Morning America. "And I heard my daughters screaming 'mom's on fire, mom's on fire.'" The thought of having your life change in such a small amount of time must have been horrifying. Kate suffered from burns on 18% of her body.
Currently, Kate is recovering from second- and third-degree burns that cover her face, arms, and legs. While it makes sense that hand sanitizer would be flammable, it can be easy to forget. Using hand sanitizer has become such second nature to people this year that they may not fully remember in the moment that it can also be dangerous.
This summer, many people became fearful of hand sanitizer exploding in their cars due to the hot sun. It's a popular choice to store a bottle in vehicles, as it's a good way to make sure you're well-prepared when visiting areas that may be more susceptible to germs. After a photo went viral online of a burned car interior, some began to panic.
According to NBC DFW, the photo initially came from the Western Lakes Fire District. "By its nature, most hand sanitizer is alcohol-based and therefore flammable," the district wrote. "Keeping it in your car during hot weather, exposing it to sun causing magnification of light through the bottle — and particularly being next to open flame while smoking in vehicles or grilling while enjoying this weekend — can lead to disaster."
The news outlet reported that while cases like this might happen, it's very unlikely. That can be backed by a few hoax videos that have since circulated. After the post went viral, the fire department cleared up some confusion. Supposedly, it had no clue how far of a reach its warning would get.
"The fire district explained that the image used in the post was not from their district and was not caused by an exploding container of hand sanitizer, explaining that their post was intended to help prevent fire or injury caused by hand sanitizer use," wrote Hannah Jones from NBC DFW. Still, the outlet believes it's best not to put hand sanitizer in the car during hot days.
The department added that according to professionals, the interior of the car would have to reach a temperature of 572 degrees for a fire to start. So how hot, temperature-wise, was the flame that Kate Wise used to light the candle? As it turns out, the color of the flame helps indicate how hot it actually is.
ThoughtCo states that a fire that's deep red in color is around 1,112 to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit, and orange-yellow is around 2,012 degrees. Thus, it makes sense that the explosion would happen, especially if Kate's hands weren't dry at the time.
Much like Kate explained, the whole incident happened in seconds. It's a reminder that we always need to be on guard. If you use hand sanitizer, you should make sure it's fully evaporated from your skin. Even so, you should always be careful around an open flame.
It's also important to use this time to brush up on the proper procedures to take if you're on fire due to a similar incident. While it's hard not to immediately panic, the "stop, drop, and roll" method is still one of the best for extinguishing the flames. It's also important to remember that it's not just candles that may cause an incident.
You're also putting yourself in harm's way if you apply hand sanitizer right before using a stovetop or grill. Being so close to an open flame, you never know what may occur. So if possible, remember that soap and water are a great alternative plan if you're indoors. Soap isn't flammable, so it would never cause such a strong reaction.
As for Kate, the incident must have been terrifying. The good news is that while she's injured, she and her children are still alive. While it's unfortunate that this happened, it's a good reminder for everyone. Using hand sanitizer has become such a common practice that it's easy to forget that it comes with more safety precautions than soap and water.
