A Metro Vancouver fire department is warning the public to be careful with that relatively new addition to their vehicles – hand sanitizer.
Since the pandemic struck in the spring, most people have armed themselves with a ready supply of the disinfectant in their cars.
But what they may not realize, explained Richmond Fire-Rescue, is that summer temperatures and the heat inside vehicles leads to the risk of alcohol-based sanitizers leaking.
According to the fire department, the bottles are prone to leakage due to over-pressurization from high temperatures, resulting in spillage and fumes inside vehicles that, while not dangerous, can create odours and nausea for some people when in a confined space.
They are advising people to keep their hand sanitizer in an upright position and properly sealed to avoid spillage.
As an added precaution, containers left in a vehicle should be kept out of direct sunlight and people should read and follow directions and warnings on the product labels.
Also, because of their alcohol content, hand sanitizer can be flammable so people are being warned to take care when smoking or using around open flames, due to vapour.
However, the fire department wants to reassure people that there is no fire risk of spontaneous ignition from storing sanitizer in vehicles (without an open flame present.)
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