Good Morning Britain's Dr Hilary debunks hand sanitiser fire risk in hot cars: 'You would need a spark'

"I've not heard of anybody being injured by a hand sanitiser that's caught fire"
Imogen Braddick25 June 2020

Good Morning Britain's Dr Hilary has debunked claims that hand sanitiser poses a fire risk if left in a hot car.

NHS Property Services, the property management division of the health service, issued an internal leaflet to its frontline staff as temperatures peaked in late May, stating that if left too long in a hot car containers of alcohol-based hand gel could ignite and cause the a car interior to melt.

The information was widely shared on social media this week by local authorities and concerned members of the public as temperatures soared and the mercury hit 30C.

Speaking to GMB hosts Ben Shephard and Susanna Reid on Thursday, Dr Hilary assured viewers that a spark would be needed to start a fire.

Referring to hand sanitisers, he said: "They're alcohol-based and they are said to be ineffective if it's less than 60 percent alcohol, so anything above that is flammable.

"You would need a spark though. I've not heard of anybody being injured by a hand sanitiser that's caught fire."

Dr Hilary continued: "You would probably have to spill it on yourself while smoking a cigarette, and drop a match on your lap.

"So you would have to be pretty clumsy I think. The fire service will probably hate me for saying this but you would have to be pretty clumsy for this to happen."

Needing a spark to ignite the alcohol-based gel was already highlighted on Wednesday by fact-checking website, Full Fact.

Hand hygiene is key to curbing the spread of the coronavirus and many Britons currently have a bottle of sanitiser sitting in their car, their handbag, or any spare pocket.

Hand sanitiser can help curb the spread of the new coronavirus 
Getty Images

The claims prompted the NHS to issue a statement reassuring the public that it is safe to leave hand sanitisers in cars during a heatwave.

An NHSPS spokesperson told the Standard the body wants to make it clear that the public should definitely keep hand sanitiser in their cars whatever the weather, as it is crucial in keeping up hand hygiene as the lockdown eases further.

The spokesperson said the initial leaflet was created "in good faith" but that NHSPS was now aware that overheated hand sanitiser left in a hot car poses no clear risk to the public.

A statement said: "This decision to raise awareness across colleagues was made in good faith.

"It is now our understanding that the risks associated with hand sanitisers in vehicles only become apparent when in contact with a spark.

"We will be issuing a formal alert to our frontline teams to clarify this situation."

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