A vehicle is one of the most precious assets someone will own in their life. This fact makes any vehicle in fire unfortunate news. Data suggest there is an increase in vehicle fires since the beginning of the COVID19 pandemic. A particular concern is that hand sanitisers are causing, at last, some of these fires.

Hand-sanitisers recommended for COVID19 have an alcohol concentration of 80%. The presence of alcohol in such concentrations makes hand sanitisers a fire hazard.

Now let's assume you park your car and go to Keels for some groceries. The temperature in the shade will be about 30C, and on the tarmac (car park), it will be more than 40C. If the shutters are partially open (something most Sri Lankans don't do), the internal temperature would be above 55C. At this temperature, the alcohol vaporises.

Alcohol vapour has a low flashpoint of 17C (70% ethanol). The flashpoint is the temperature at which a vapour, once ignited, could continue burning after the source of ignition is removed.

Should you be concerned?

I wouldn't lose sleep over it as the probability of a fire is small. I have personally forgotten my hand sanitiser in the car left in the hot sun for hours.

However, it would be best to remember that any vehicle has many electronic components that could cause micro sparks. These sparks could start a fire that will continue to spread within the car if it's filled with alcohol vapour.

How to be safe (er)?

The most important thing to keep in mind is not to leave a bottle of hand sanitiser in a vehicle unattended.

Secondly, don't keep large amounts of the sanitiser in the vehicle. I would recommend you use a small bottle filled enough for maybe two days. The lesser the sanitiser, the less there is to burn.

If you accidentally left the sanitiser in the car in the hot sun, open the doors for a few seconds and let the gas escape.

Alternatives for Hand Sanitisers

Fearing that hand sanitisers could include Benzene, a cancerous substance, I minimize its use. I use a combination of hand sanitiser, disposable gloves, and Dettol spray to sanitize my hand, depending on the day.