Beware your hand sanitiser may explode

Here is a warning for motorists who place their hand sanitiser bottles on top of their dashboard when parking their vehicles in a parking lot.

Exposure to sunlight could cause the content to heat up and end in an e x p l o s i o n . Thi s is because of the high alcohol content in the sanitisers.

A recent incident in the American state of Chicago, led to a major fire where a car was all burnt inside, the dashboard, seats and upholstery. The front window too was cracked. The owner had placed a bottle of sanitiser on top of the dashboard. The rays of the sun heated it and that led to the explosion. The particular sanitiser contained 80 percent alcohol.

Health authorities in Sri Lanka advise motorists to keep the sanitiser either in their car locker, compartment on the doors or compartments where there is no direct sunlight.