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Chennai man lights cigarette after using sanitiser, suffers burn injuries

The high alcohol content in the sanitisers make them flammable and it is advisable to use it in a place where there is no direct heat or fire.

A man in Chennai suffered severe burns on Saturday night when he lit a cigarette just after using hand sanitiser. As per reports, Ruban (50) had just sanitised his hands when the incident happened at his house in Ashok Nagar.

On Saturday, Ruban returned home late after work and sanitised his hands due to the pandemic. While sanitising, a few drops of the sanitiser fell on his shirt. Though a family member pointed this out to him, Ruban reportedly said that he was going to take a shower immediately and would change the shirt then. As he entered the bathroom, he lit a cigarette and a few sparks fell on his shirt and caught fire. In a couple of minutes, Ruban was engulfed in flames and cried out for help. His family members rushed to the bathroom to rescue him and took him to the government medical college hospital at Kilpauk.

Ruban suffered severe burns to his face, neck, chest, both arms and abdomen and his condition is said to be critical, according to an officer. The high alcohol content in the sanitisers make them flammable and it is advisable to use it in a place, where there is no direct heat or fire.

In November, two young boys suffered burn injuries after they tried to set some sanitiser liquid on fire in Kancheepuram district. Prakash (11) and Mukundhan (7) were without adult supervision when the incident happened. The two boys had arranged some sticks and poured sanitiser on them to set them on fire. However, they were still holding the bottle of sanitiser in their hands when they lit the sticks, which caught fire. Their neighbours rushed to their help and took them to the government hospital in Kancheepuram. The boys suffered around 20% burns and were eventually shifted to the Government Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital for further treatment.

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Source: The News Minute