Though hand sanitizer is commonly recommended to help keep your hands clean while in public—or even inside your home—so many of them have been discovered to have methanol, which can be toxic if either ingested or infiltrated wrongly through skin.
For people wanting to continuously stay clean, the FDA and CDC recommend that you wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds—as needed, or several times a day—and to practice good hygiene. Hand sanitizers are recommended while in public, as long as the product contains at least 60 percent ethanol.
The problem, though, is that so many hand sanitizers are made and bottled in Mexico, and they contain methanol.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said methanol is not an acceptable ingredient in hand sanitizers.
“Consumers who have been exposed to hand sanitizer containing methanol should seek immediate treatment, which is critical for potential reversal of toxic effects of methanol poisoning,” the agency announced. “Substantial methanol exposure can result in nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, permanent blindness, seizures, coma, permanent damage to the nervous system or death.”
The FDA began publishing a small list in June, and it has ballooned over the last 3-4 weeks, with most of the products containing methanol.
As of July 15, 2020, the FDA published a list of 69different sanitizers that were either recalled or recommended to be pulled from shelves. Here is the complete list.
Here are the products:
The FDA has advised people to not use certain hand sanitizers that are manufactured in Mexico, saying the sanitizers can be toxic when absorbed through the skin or digested.
Children who use hand sanitizers with methanol and accidentally ingest it are at a risk for methanol poisoning, as are adults who drink the sanitizer as a substitute for alcohol (ethanol).
The agency recommends removing these products by placing them in hazardous waste containers, and to not dump them down a drain. As of its announcement, FDA said there had been no reported cases of injury or poisoning from the sanitizers.
The administration still recommends using good sanitation habits while the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) still remains a threat.
“FDA reminds consumers to wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after coughing, sneezing, or blowing one’s nose,” its website read.
It also recommends using a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol.
“FDA remains vigilant and will continue to take action when quality issues arise with hand sanitizers,” it said. “Additionally, the agency is concerned with false and misleading claims for hand sanitizers, for example that they can provide prolonged protection such as 24-hours against viruses including COVID-19, since there is no evidence to support these claims.”
