Hospital Patient Drinks Hand Sanitizer, May End Excessive Cleanliness Fad

Bottles of hand sanitizer have been turning up in hospitals, schools, and stores, but Australian doctors say there’s an unforeseen danger. Several alcoholic patients have consumed the gel, which is 66% ethanol, including one man who was found with six empty 12.6 ounce bottles at a Victoria hospital. Dr Michael Oldmeadow, the hospital’s director of physician training, says he’s considering mounting dispensers to the wall or finding sanitizers that taste terrible — or rather, more terrible than ethanol-based gels.

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