One way that Taiwanese people like to keep their hands warm during cold winter days is to use disposable hand warmers. But there are certain precautions to using them so you don’t burn yourself.
The kind of hand warmers that Taiwanese people like to use in the winter are the disposable ones. Once you remove one of these pouches from its wrapping, an exothermic reaction takes place, creating heat anywhere from 40 to 50 degrees Celsius.
There are certain restrictions though to using the hand warmers. A 70-year-old woman in Nantou County was not aware that the pouches cannot be used directly on the skin. On a cold night, she went to bed with a pouch under each foot and with socks on. She woke up in the morning to 2nd degree burns on her feet.
So here’s a warning to all of you hand warmer lovers: never use pouches directly on your skin unless it’s separated by a piece of clothing. If you hold it in your hand, you should take breaks from using it every five to 10 minutes.