FROM STAFF REPORTS

Four inmates were hospitalized after ingesting hand sanitizer in the Shelby County jail.

On May 20, Shelby County corrections officers noticed several working inmates in the jail kitchen behaving strangely. It was determined that four of the inmates assigned to the kitchen had ingested hand sanitizer for the alcohol contained in it, according to a press release from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.

All four of the inmates were taken to the emergency room at Shelby Baptist Medical Center for treatment. Three of the inmates were treated and returned to the jail while the fourth inmate was admitted to the hospital for further treatment overnight. He is expected to return to the jail today, according to the press release.

The appropriate steps are being taken to remove hand sanitizer with alcohol from the jail. Ingesting hand sanitizer, or any product not designed for human consumption, is extremely dangerous, the release stated.