Last week, VA-OSHA posted this Hazard Alert regarding hand sanitizers with 80% alcohol. Now I am not aware of any studies that differentiate the hazards of 80% versions from 70% and 65%% versions or of any incidents where static ignited the sanitizer when the user touched a grounded surface. But we do know that Alcohols have Minimum Ignition Energies (MIE) less than 1 millijoule (mJ) and static such as getting shocked by a metal surface is capable of being an ignition source.
Here is the wording from their alert… Act with caution when using 80% alcohol‐based hand sanitizer. Before the liquid disinfectant has evaporated or dried there is a risk when touching metal surfaces which may accumulate static electricity which can serve as an ignition source, causing a flash fire.
World Health Organization (WHO) states the following:
The benefits of the alcohol in terms of infection prevention far outweigh the fire risks . A study in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology (Kramer et al 2007) found that hand rubs have been used in many hospitals for decades, representing an estimated total of 25,038 hospital years of use. The median consumption was between 31 L/month (smallest hospitals) and 450 L/month (largest hospitals), resulting in an overall consumption of 35 million L for all hospitals. A total of 7 non-severe fire incidents were reported. No reports of fire caused by static electricity or other factors were received, nor were any related to storage areas.
KY-OSHA recently reported the following incident that recently occurred to a Gassco (Siemens) employee:
The employee used alcohol-based hand sanitizer as recommended during the coronavirus pandemic. The person touched a metal surface before the liquid had evaporated. Due to the static electricity, the vapor from the hand sanitizer ignited with an almost invisible flame on both hands. The person managed to get to a since to extinguish the flames, but he suffered first and second-degree burns.
Deputy State Fire Marshal Dan Jones confirmed on Wednesday that an “extremely unusual” mix of hand sanitizer, olive oil and static electricity was the reason behind a fire that burned an 11-year-old while in her hospital bed. The girl, who turns 12 Thursday, had recently learned about static electricity and apparently was trying to create static sparks in her bed by scuffing her feet and rubbing the bed linens. Wallace said a static charge likely ignited fumes from the hand sanitizer and burned Ireland’s olive oil-saturated cotton shirt. The Klamath Falls child suffered second- and third-degree burns to about 19 percent of her body, The Oregonian has reported. Ireland has already undergone one skin graft surgery and a second surgery was scheduled for Thursday.
International Marine Contractors Association Hazard Alert – Ignited hand sanitizer (May 5, 2020)
The person was using alcohol based hand sanitizer as recommended during the Corona pandemic. The person touched a surface before his hands were completely dry. Due to static electricity, the fumes from the hand sanitizer ignited with an almost invisible flame on both hands. The person quickly managed to get to a sink to extinguish the flames.
