As to be expected in this age of social media, sanitiser has also become the subject of fake news.

Most of the fake news about hand sanitisers revolve around its “hidden” dangers, particularly its flammability and toxicity.

But just how true are these claims?

As with some fake news, there is a kernel of truth in these claims which unfortunately have been twisted to mislead and strike fear in people.

The main component of a hand sanitiser is alcohol, specifically ethyl alcohol.

Hand sanitisers require at least 60% alcohol content to be considered effective and most range between 60% to 95%.

Some forms of alcohol by nature are flammable, so it is important to store it safely.

However, it should be mentioned that fires reportedly caused by hand sanitisers are an extreme rarity, to say the least.

The reason is, alcohol on human skin evaporates very quickly, in about 10 seconds, and rubbing your coated hands will make your skin dry even faster.

One piece of scaremongering news that has been circulated on social media is a photo of a pair of hands supposedly burnt due to an applied coating of hand sanitiser.

The viral message warns people against approaching sources of fire such as stoves after applying a hand sanitiser.

Accompanying the photo is a text that reads, “This lady applied sanitiser and went to the kitchen to cook. The moment she turned on the stove, her hands caught fire as alcohol was present in the sanitiser.”

The photos are highly misleading, and according to a fact check by India Today, the photograph belongs to a burn victim who had her forearm skin used for skin grafts.

This can be seen from the sharp edges visible on her forearm, which is something burns cannot cause.

Another claim stating that pet owners should not touch their pets after using hand sanitiser is also rather deceptive.

While consumption of hand sanitiser by animals and humans can lead to ethanol poisoning, you would have to consume a lot of it for this to be even a remote possibility.

And as previously mentioned, the solution of a hand sanitiser evaporates very quickly, so the likelihood of pets consuming any sanitiser by licking your hand is highly unlikely.

At most, keep your sanitiser bottles away from your pets and young children to prevent accidental ingestion.

In any case, experts recommend washing one’s hands with soap and water regularly over solely using hand sanitisers.