Teens take hand sanitiser to get drunk

Teenagers are showing up in Los Angeles emergency rooms after drinking liquid hand sanitisers to get drunk. Cheap and easily accessible hand sanitisers contain 62 per cent ethyl alcohol.

The Los Angeles Times says six teenagers have shown up in two San Fernando Valley emergency rooms in the last few months with alcohol poisoning after drinking hand sanitiser.

Some of the teens used salt to separate the alcohol from the sanitiser, making a potent drink similar to a shot of hard liquor. They found the distillation instructions on the Internet.

Although there have only been a few cases, county public health toxicology expert Cyrus Rangan says it could signal a trend. Experts warn even a small amount of the drink can cause permanent damage to internal organs. Agencies