COVID-19 and frequent use of hand sanitizers; human health and environmental hazards by exposure pathways

• Published in: The Science of the total environment 2020-11, Vol.742, p.140561-140561, Article 140561
• Main Authors: Mahmood, Adeel, Eqan, Maryam, Pervez, Saher, Alghamdi, Huda Ahmed, Tabinda, Amtul Bari, Yasar, Abdullah, Brindhadevi, Kathirvel, Pugazhendhi, Arivalagan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Betacoronavirus; Child; Coronavirus Infections; COVID-19; COVID-19: Human health hazards: Environmental impact of hand rubs; Hand Disinfection; Hand Sanitizers; Humans; Pandemics; Pneumonia, Viral; SARS-CoV-2; United States
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140561

Till date no medication or vaccine is available to cope with the COVID-19 infection and infection rate is increasing drastically across the globe. Only preventive measures and healthy life style with efficient immune system have been suggested by WHO to fight and stay safe from COVID-19. WHO recommended alcohol based hand sanitizers for frequent hand hygiene, which are mainly made up from ethanol, isopropyl alcohols, hydrogen peroxides in different combinations. These preparations may become toxic to human health and environment when misused. These chemicals have known toxic and hazardous impact on environment when released by evaporation. In early five months of 2020, American Association of Poison Control Center reported 9504 alcoholic hand sanitizer exposure cases in children under the age of 12 years and recognized that even a small amount of alcohol can cause alcohol poisoning in children that is responsible for confusion, vomiting and drowsiness, and in severe cases, respiratory arrest and death. Furthermore, frequent usage of said hand sanitizers has reported increased chance of antimicrobial resistance and chance of other viral diseases. Current review is designed with main objective to highlight the toxic and serious health risks to human health and environment by frequent using hand hygiene products with alcohols based formulations. [Display omitted] •Alcohol based hand sanitizers are recommended by WHO as preventive measure of COVID-19.•Till April 2020, 7593 hand sanitizer exposure cases of children were reported.•Frequent usage of hand sanitizers results antimicrobial resistance.•Frequent usage of hand sanitizers enhance the chance of other viral diseases.