Teenagers drinking hand santizers to get drunk

Los Angeles, CA, United States (AHN) – A disturbing trend is emerging among teens, who are imbibing hand sanitizers to get drunk.

Hand sanitizers are a cheap and easily accessible way for teens to get intoxicated. Most sanitizers contain 62 percent ethyl alcohol.

The Los Angeles Times reports six teenagers have shown up in two San Fernando Valley emergency rooms over the past several months with alcohol poisoning after drinking hand sanitizer.

Some of the teens used salt to separate the alcohol from the sanitizer, creating a cocktail of sorts that is similar to a shot of hard liquor.

Distillation instructions can be found on the Internet.

Health official are concerned that drinking hand sanitizer could become widespread.

The use of hand sanitizer to get drunk is just the latest over-the-counter product teenagers have tried to get a quick high. In the past, teens have used mouthwash, vanilla extract and cough syrup to get a buzz.

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