Sick new trend: Teens getting drunk off hand sanitizer

Doctors are seriously worried about a sick trend — teens drinking hand sanitizer.

Six young people recently landed in a Southern California emergency room with alcohol poisoning after chugging the antimicrobial gel.

Hand sanitizer contains a whopping 62% ethyl alcohol — making the foul liquid akin to a shot of hard liquor.

YouTube has seen an influx of videos of teens chugging the foul germ-killing goo.

Dr. Young-jin Sue, a pediatric toxicologist at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, said that she hasn’t seen any cases of teens coming into the ER after overdosing on the alcohol-rich gel.

“Teens don’t have access to ethyl alcohol so they resort to crazy things,” she said. “It’s very concentrated, just a few ounces can make someone sick.”

Teens have a long tradition of looking in the medicine cabinet in order get a cheap buzz.

A few years ago, teens were chugging cough syrup in order to get at the opiate-like effects of dextromethorphan. Certain mouthwashes contain ethyl alcohol as well. Before pseudoephedrine went behind the pharmacy counter, teens sought it out for a quick high.