Fire Departments Warn About Combining Fireworks with Hand Sanitizer
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Unless you want third-degree burns, just wash your hands.
It’s the Fourth of July weekend! Even with the pandemic keeping everyone inside, there’s still plenty of fun to be had. Barbecues, some good TV, and every suburban American’s favorite nighttime game, “fireworks or suspicious gunshot.” Yes, good ol’ fireworks. Fireworks are actually perfect for a pandemic-era celebration, because you don’t have to be right next to each other to appreciate them. You could even watch them from your window if you’re lucky. However, as ideal as fireworks are for a pandemic-era celebration, there is one dangerous caveat that fire departments have been offering warnings about.
Hand sanitizer has become a common sight around the country, and rightfully so. You gotta keep those hands clean and sanitary to reduce your chances of catching and spreading the virus. However, many commercial hand sanitizers contain trace amounts of alcohol, and as any flashy party bartender will tell you, alcohol is extremely flammable. If you coat your hands in hand sanitizer and then go to handle fireworks, there is a very real chance you could set your hands on fire.
“Keep in mind, if you are using consumer fireworks this year, DO NOT USE HAND SANITIZER AT THE SAME TIME! Wash your hands only with soap and water. Hand Sanitizer is flammable!” warned the City of Greensboro Fire Department on their Facebook.
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The Fourth of July is a very fire-heavy holiday, which means you might want to refrain from using hand sanitizer for the whole day, especially if you’re manning a grill.
“On average, 180 people go to the emergency room every day with fireworks-related injuries in the month around the July 4th holiday,” according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Over half of those injuries are burn-related, by the way.
So if you’re hosting a (hopefully small-scale) Fourth of July party this year, consider adding a hand-washing station to your party set-up, unless you want to end up like the Human Torch.
