A study suggests that hand sanitizers can be harming your brain cells.

Overview

In both expected and surprising ways, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the strain on infrastructure, medical systems, and the general populace. The unexpected case of methanol poisoning from hand sanitizer intake is summarized in this case study. The cause of the poisoning was changed industry rules, rising demand for cleaning products, and severe psychosocial stressors brought on by the pandemic. Severe methanol toxicity causes serious metabolic problems, retinal and optic nerve damage, and can even be fatal.

Showing of a Case
After using hand sanitizer, the patient, a 26-year-old man with an alcohol use disorder, experienced nausea, vomiting, and stomach pain for one day. In just a few hours, the patient experienced many seizures, cardiac arrests, and an urgent need for intensive care due to methanol poisoning. A cranial nerve test was conducted following methanol poisoning due to worries about brain death, and EEG and brain perfusion imaging were evaluated.

In conclusion

Methanol toxicity is still a potentially deadly poisoning in the US and around the world, although being uncommon. Healthcare practitioners need to take particularly unusual presentations into consideration when public and healthcare resources are stretched. Cranial nerve evaluation may be unreliable in patients suspected of brain death due to methanol intoxication. Thus, more examinations are required to verify brain death.

The smell of hand sanitizer does not cause brain damage. If you do it regularly, your lungs will be the first to suffer. Only if you are able to inhale enough alcohol or whatever the active chemical is that causes poisonous blood levels. The absence of air may cause you to murder yourself first.