![\\"logo\\"](\\"/img/logo-dpa-factchecking.svg\\"/) *About ![\\"IFCN](\\"/img/ifcn-certificate.png\\"/) ![\\"EFCSN](\\"/img/efcsn- certificate.png\\"/) # Disinfectant alcohol cannot catch fire due to the heat in a car in the sun 26.5.2020, 09:40 (CEST) Can a bottle of disinfectant alcohol explode under the influence of heat or catch fire in the car? According to posts on Facebook which been widely shared in recent days, it\'s possible. Users Belgians made it known in a post on Facebook on May 8, 2020 in version Dutch-speaking and on May 17, 2020 in French: “Be careful with your bottle of hydroalcoholic gel in the car! This can happen if your car is in the sun for a while! » Another version, shared in Luxembourg, declares: "It's just to remind you of the danger that can cause you to forget your bottle of hydoalcoholic gel in your vehicle by these hot times, an extremely flammable product. » A photo illustrates the remarks where we can see major damage caused by a explosion or fire. ( (NL) and (FR) and (LU). EVALUATION: The claim that a bottle of hand sanitizer left in the car may explode or catch fire due to heat is wrong. Experts clearly state that this product cannot not explode or ignite on its own. FACTS: The photo is widely shared on social media international. Similar images with text that warns of danger explosion of the bottle of disinfectant alcohol left in a car in the sun circulate in numbers. The photo from the Facebook post above has inscriptions in Portuguese. The background suggests the photo was taken in South America. That also appears after a thorough search of the image via different search engines such as TinEye and Google images. These are mainly Brazilians who shared the photo and the accompanying message these recent days on social media such as Twitter, LinkedIn and especially Facebook. ( The comments accompanying the various publications already suggest that something is wrong. People posting the photo sometimes admit that it is not a photo that was taken by them, but an image which they found by chance on the Internet. Fire Lieutenant Marcos Maia, from the municipality of Pará de Minas, spoke about this on the Brazilian radio station Rádio Santa Cruz FM 100.3, a few days before the post was broadcast on the media social services in Belgium. He says clearly and unequivocally that history is not true. “Hydroalcoholic gel is a combustible substance, but it does not catch fire at room temperature. » The interview seems authentic: An audio clip of this interview is online. ( Other experts have spoken out on the subject. In the newspaper “Estadão” from the São Paulo region, Professor Reinaldo Bazito of the Institute of chemistry from the University of São Paulo (USP) analyzes three images in detail similar cars with burned panels or doors. ( According to him, only an expert can determine the cause exact fires. However, he decides on one certainty: the solution hydroalcoholic does not burn on its own, even if it is in a heated car. Anyone with a bottle of hydroalcoholic gel at home can read in the instructions for use that there are certain risks. The universal logo “Flammable” is clearly marked on the bottle. Various sheets of Safety data of all kinds of alcohol gels are available in line. ( and and These sheets, for example, state that you must keep the alcohol gel at away from heat, hot surfaces, sparks, open flames and other sources of ignition. 70% alcohol is a product flammable and should therefore be handled and stored with care. Professor Bazito: “At a temperature of 16.6°C, called the “point ", the alcohol begins to emit vapors which can ignite in contact with sources of ignition, such as flames or sparks. So that alcohol ignites spontaneously, without the presence from an ignition source, a temperature of 363°C would be necessary. » You therefore need a heat source such as a lighter to trigger a combustion. A bottle of hydroalcoholic gel does not spontaneously ignite only at an extremely high temperature. “In a car parked in the sun, it is impossible to reach such high temperatures,” explains the Professor Bazito. According to several studies, the temperature in a car does not cannot exceed 60°C ( Conclusion of Brazilian professor Bazito: “The hydroalcoholic gel does not spreads as easily as liquid. This reduces the risk of fire. THE liquid could have contributed to a possible incident which is the subject of posts on social media, but it cannot be the cause. " He is possible that the fire of the cars in the photos was caused by a short circuit or electrical problem. Professor Bazito gives however, a warning to users: “You must not use hydroalcoholic gel on a stove, for example. Leave a bottle in a car in the sun can't do any harm. » Belgian professor of toxicology and pharmacology Jan Tytgat from KU Leuven agrees with the Brazilian professor: “A bottle of gel disinfectant in your car cannot catch fire or explode due to the heat,” explains Mr. Tytgat. “The post is incorrect. »LINKS: Facebook posts FR: (archive: NL: (Archive: READ: (Archive: Google images: BE & TBS = SIMG: CAQSMWIJU80PBUCTZLSAJWILELCMPWGAYGPGCAMSKM4NZQ2_1DZYLXI6BNUE2W3US M2uxmw6daxMo7Clp3wWqosaedasqjqjq7-Cbokcgiarie7QMRVWWLEJKAHWEKFGOEDHJLZDDCGOIL20VMDQN3IKGQGQOGZGVUZGY2QWI9GMLCGBBS8 B29Y2QWI9GMMMCGOVBS8WMNEYA2MZCHYKBHRPCMXAPYJ2AWKCC9TLZBOW12CHGKBG27BLE APYJ2AWWKCI9TLZAYNXJ3MTKM & SXSRF = ALEKK02CA_RFOWD5OIWLW 24910523 & Q = Foto & TBM = isch & sa = X & VED = 2Ahukewijw9kk26BPAHWOY6QKHBHUC0OQWG4OHAHECA0QKA & BIW = 1440 & BIH = 766 (archive: Interview on Brazilian radio Rádio Santa Cruz FM 100.3: (archive: Article in the daily newspaper Estadão: nao-pega-fogo-sozinho-se-deixado-dentro-de-um-carro-no- sol/?utm_source=estadao:mail&utm_medium=link (archive: Safety data sheets for all types of hydroalcoholic gels: document/msds_coa/22001_%28NLB%29.pdf Study on the temperature in the car: (archive: \--- Contact the dpa fact-checking team: factcheck-luxembourg@dpa.com powered by dpa-newslab | Imprint | Privacy | About:
Can a bottle of disinfectant alcohol explode from heat or catch fire in the car According to Facebook posts that have been widely shared in recent days It is possible Belgian users made it known in a post on Facebook on May 8 2020 in the Dutch version and on May 17 2020 in the French version Be careful with your bottle of hydroalcoholic gel in the car This can happen if your car is in the sun for a while Another version shared in Luxembourg declares This is just to remind you of the danger that can result from forgetting your bottle of hydoalcoholic gel in your vehicle in these hot weather an extremely flammable product A photo illustrates the remarks where we can see major damage caused by an explosion or fire NL and FR and LU