The Food and Drug Administration has added to its list of hand sanitizers to avoid because they may contain methanol, a toxic substance when absorbed through skin or ingested.
The FDA’s updated chart now includes 75 varieties of hand sanitizer that should be avoided, some which have already been recalled, and other products being recommended for recalls as they may contain the potentially fatal ingredient.
The federal agency also included many of the hand sanitizers on an updated import alert Friday. All of the products appear to have been produced in Mexico and according to the alert should be detained because they pose a health risk.
The FDA says it has “seen a sharp increase in hand sanitizer products that are labeled to contain ethanol (also known as ethyl alcohol) but that have tested positive for methanol contamination.”
In June, the FDA warned consumers not to use nine kinds of hand sanitizers because they may contain methanol, and added to the list in early July. More were added to the list last week.
Methanol is used industrially as a solvent, pesticide and alternative fuel source, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Exposure to it can cause nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, permanent blindness, seizures, coma, permanent damage to the nervous system and death.
“Methanol is not an acceptable active ingredient for hand sanitizers and must not be used due to its toxic effects,” the FDA said, noting its investigation of methanol in certain hand sanitizers is ongoing.
The CDC says washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is the best way to clean your hands, but when that’s not an option, the agency recommends using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
Children who accidentally ingest hand sanitizer and young people who drink hand sanitizer as an alcohol substitute are at an increased risk for methanol poisoning, the FDA said.
Hand sanitizer has been a popular product to combat the coronavirus since February, and many new types have entered the market after shortages of brands including Purell.
The FDA is advising consumers not to use the following hand sanitizers because tests found them to contain methanol or that they were “purportedly made at the same facility as products in which FDA has tested and confirmed methanol contamination.” The FDA also says to avoid sanitizers from the companies.
Find more information, including the product code where available, on the FDA website.
- 4E Global’s Blumen Clear Advanced Hand Sanitizer with 70% Alcohol
- 4E Global’s Blumen Advanced Instant Hand Sanitizer Clear Ethyl Alcohol 70%
- 4E Global’s BLUMEN Advanced Instant Hand Sanitizer Clear
- 4E Global’s KLAR AND DANVER Instant Hand Sanitizer (labeled with Greenbrier International Inc.)
- 4E Global’s MODESA Instant Hand Sanitizer Moisturizers and Vitamin E
- 4E Global’s BLUMEN Advanced Hand Sanitizer
- 4E Global’s BLUMEN Advanced Hand Sanitizer Aloe
- 4E Global’s BLUMEN Advanced Instant Hand Sanitizer Lavender
- 4E Global’s BLUMEN Clear LEAR Advanced Hand Sanitizer
- 4E Global’s BLUEMEN Clear Advanced Hand Sanitizer
- 4E Global’s The Honeykeeper Hand Sanitizer
- 4E Global’s BLUMEN Advanced Hand Sanitizer Clear
- 4E Global’s BLUMEN Clear Advanced Instant Hand Sanitizer
- 4E Global’s BLUMEN Clear Advanced Instant Hand Sanitizer Aloe
- 4E Global’s BLUMEN Clear Advanced Instant Hand Sanitizer Lavender
- 4E Global’s BLUMEN Aloe Advanced Hand Sanitizer, with 70 Alcohol
- 4E Global’s Blumen Advanced Hand Sanitizer Lavender, with 70% alcohol
- 4E Global’s Blumen Advanced Hand Sanitizer Aloe, with 70% alcohol
- 4E Global’s Blumen Antibacterial Fresh Citrus Hand Sanitizer
- 4E Global’s Blumen Hand Sanitizer Fresh Citrus
- 4E Global’s KLAR and DANVER INSTANT HAND SANTIZER
- 4E Global’s Hello Kitty by Sanrio Hand Sanitizer
- 4E Global’s Assured Instant Hand Sanitizer (Vitamin E and Aloe)
- 4E Global’s Assured Instant Hand Sanitizer (Aloe and Moisturizers)
- 4E Global’s Assured Instant Hand Sanitizer Vitamin E and Aloe
- 4E Global’s Assured Instant Hand Sanitizer Aloe and Moisturizers
- 4E Global’s BLUMEN Instant Hand Sanitizer Fragrance Free
- 4E Global’s BLUMEN Instant Hand Sanitizer Aloe Vera
- 4E Global’s Assured Aloe
- AAA Cosmetica’s bio aaa Advance Hand Sanitizer
- AAA Cosmetica’s LumiSkin Advance Hand Sanitizer 4 oz
- AAA Cosmetica’s LumiSkin Advance Hand Sanitizer 16 oz
- AAA Cosmetica’s QualitaMed Hand Sanitizer
- DDI Multinacional’s Earths Amenities Instant Unscented Hand Sanitizer with Aloe Vera Advanced
- DDI Multinacional’s Hand Sanitizer Agavespa Skincare
- DDI Multinacional’s Vidanos Easy Cleaning Rentals Hand Sanitizer Agavespa Skincare
- Eskbiochem’s All-Clean Hand Sanitizer
- Eskbiochem’s Esk Biochem Hand Sanitizer
- Eskbiochem’s Lavar 70 Gel Hand Sanitizer
- Eskbiochem’s The Good Gel Antibacterial Gel Hand Sanitizer
- Eskbiochem’s CleanCare NoGerm Advanced Hand Sanitizer 80% Alcohol
- Eskbiochem’s CleanCare NoGerm Advanced Hand Sanitizer 75% Alcohol
- Eskbiochem’s CleanCare NoGerm Advanced Hand Sanitizer 80% Alcohol
- Eskbiochem’s Saniderm Advanced Hand Sanitizer
- Grupo Insoma’s Hand sanitizer Gel Unscented 70% Alcohol
- Limpo Quimicos’ Andy’s Best
- Limpo Quimicos’ Andy’s
- Limpo Quimicos’ Gelclor
- Limpo Quimicos’ NeoNatural
- Limpo Quimicos’ Plus Advanced
- Liqesa Exportacion or Liq-E-S.A.’s Optimus Lubricants Instant Hand Sanitizer
- Maquiladora Miniara’s Shine and Clean Hand Sanitizer
- Maquiladora Miniara’s Selecto Hand Sanitizer
- Mystic International’s Mystic Shield Protection hand sanitizer
- Soluciones Cosmeticas’ Bersih Hand Sanitizer Gel Fragrance Free
- Soluciones Cosmeticas’ Antiseptic Alcohol 70% Topical Solution hand sanitizer
- Soluciones Cosmeticas’ Hand sanitizer (labeled with Wet Look Janitorial and Gardening Corp.)
- Tropicosmeticos’ Britz Hand Sanitizer Ethyl Alcohol 70%
- Yara Elena De La Garza Perez Nieto’s DAESI hand sanitizer
- Real Clean Distribuciones’s Born Basic Anti-Bac Hand Sanitizer
- Real Clean Distribuciones’s Anti-Bac Hand Sanitizer
- Real Clean Distribuciones’s Scent Theory – Keep It Clean – Pure Clean Anti-bacterial Hand Sanitizer
- Real Clean Distribuciones’s Cavalry
- Real Clean Distribuciones’s ENLIVEN Hand Sanitizing Gel
- Real Clean Distribuciones’s Lux Eoi Hand Sanitizing Gel
- Real Clean Distribuciones’s Keep It Clean
- Real Clean Distribuciones’s Hand Sanitizer
- MXL Comercial’s Hand Sanitizer Disinfectant Gel 70% Ethyl Alcohol (labeled with Resource Recovery & Trading LLC)
- MXL Comercial’s Hand Sanitizer Disinfectant Gel 70% Ethyl Alcohol Rinse Free Hand Rub (labeled with Resource Recovery & Trading LLC)
The following products have been recalled as of July 18:
- ITECH 361’s All Clean Hand Sanitizer, Moisturizer and Disinfectant: UPC code 628055370130.
- Transliquid Technologies’ Mystic Shield Protection hand sanitizer: NDC numbers include 75477-435-02, 75477-435-10, 75477-435-12, 75477-435-25, 75477-435-50 and 75477-534-10.
- Saniderm Advanced Hand Sanitizer, 1-liter bottles: Two distributors. The UVT hand sanitizer is labeled with lot number 0530 and an expiration date of 04/2022 and the Saniderm Products hand sanitizer is labeled with lot number 53131626 and “Manufactured on April/1/20.”
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