Ground service staff spray disinfectant through an aircraft cabin at Hefei Xinqiao International Airport, East China's Anhui Province on January 23, 2021. Photo:VCG

As the global COVID-19 pandemic enters its third year, disinfection products have become a daily necessity. Alcohol-based sanitizers are often used for household disinfection because they are relatively safe. However, recently, the doctors of a two-year-old boy, who had accidentally swallowed some disinfectant, found traces of methanol in his blood. 

Luo, who lives in Yubei district, Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, bought a 2-liter bottle of disinfectant through an online store on November 26, 2021. After receiving the product, he mainly used it to clean and disinfect the furniture. But one day, his son opened the cap of the bottle when he was playing on the balcony, and drank about 3 milliliters of the disinfectant. After the boy was sent to the hospital, the doctor took measures such as inducing vomiting and doing a gastric lavage and carried out blood analysis on the boy. Subsequently, the disinfectant was tested and found to contain 97.2 percent of methanol.

After the poisoning incident, investigation found that some so-called alcohol disinfectants sold on Taobao, Pinduoduo and JD.com were disguised as ethanol but in fact contained toxic methanol. Methanol is a dangerous chemical that can enter the human body through the respiratory tract and accidental consumption of 30 milliliters of methanol may lead to death. 

The online store has now removed the product and police are investigating the case.