By Maggie Fox, CNN
(CNN) The US Food and Drug Administration has expanded its list of potentially deadly hand sanitizer products, warning a Mexican-based company about selling products that contain methanol, a dangerous form of alcohol that can poison people through their skin.
Many new companies have been selling hand sanitizer products because of the increased demand fueled by coronavirus fears, and shortages of the usual mainstream products. But the FDA said on Monday that many companies are using unsafe alcohols in their products, and is warning people to not use them.
«Manufacturers’ failure to immediately recall all potentially affected products is placing consumers in danger of methanol poisoning,» the FDA said in a statement.
«A warning letter has been issued to Eskbiochem S.A. de C.V. for distributing product with undeclared methanol, unapproved claims –including incorrectly stating FDA approval—and improper manufacturing practices,» the agency added.
«Consumers must also be vigilant about which hand sanitizers they use, and for their health and safety we urge consumers to immediately stop using all hand sanitizers on the FDA’s list of dangerous hand sanitizer products,» FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn said in a statement.
«We remain extremely concerned about the potential serious risks of alcohol-based hand sanitizers containing methanol. Producing, importing and distributing toxic hand sanitizers poses a serious threat to the public and will not be tolerated. The FDA will take additional action as necessary and will continue to provide the latest information on this issue for the health and safety of consumers.»
Earlier this month, the FDA said at least four people died in New Mexico after reportedly drinking hand sanitizer products. The isopropyl alcohol usually used in hand sanitizer is not as toxic as methanol but the FDA doesn’t recommend eating or drinking hand sanitizer.
«Methanol exposure can result in nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, permanent blindness, seizures, coma, permanent damage to the nervous system or death,» the FDA says.
«Although people using these products on their hands are at risk for methanol poisoning, young children who accidentally ingest these products and adolescents and adults who drink these products as an alcohol (ethanol) substitute are most at risk. Consumers who have been exposed to hand sanitizer containing methanol and are experiencing symptoms should seek immediate medical treatment for potential reversal of toxic effects of methanol poisoning,» it added.
The FDA has warned against the use of more than 75 different hand sanitizer products because they contain methanol.
«In most cases, methanol does not appear on the product label. However, methanol is not an acceptable ingredient in any drug, including hand sanitizer, even if methanol is listed as an ingredient on the product label,» the FDA said.
«Importantly, the FDA is urging consumers not to use any hand sanitizer products from the particular manufacturers on the list even if the product or particular lot number are not listed since some manufacturers are recalling only certain — but not all — of their hand sanitizer products.»
The following is the latest list of potentially toxic sanitizers, according to the FDA:
- 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
- Broncolin’s Herbacil Antiseptic Hand Sanitizer 70% Alcohol
- 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
- 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 Blumen 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 Sanitizer
- 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
- Eskbiochem’s Saniderm Advanced Hand Sanitizer
- Grupo Insoma’s Hand sanitizer Gel Unscented 70% Alcohol
- ITECH 361’s All Clean Hand Sanitizer, Moisturizer and Disinfectant
- Jaloma Antiseptic Hand Sanitizer Ethyl Alcohol 62% with Vitamin E
- Leiper’s Fork Distillery Bulk Disinfectant per 5 gallon and Leiper’s Fork Distillery 16 oz
- 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
- 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)
- Mystic International’s Mystic Shield Protection 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
- Saniderm Advanced Hand Sanitizer
- Real Clean Distribuciones’s 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.)
- Transliquid Technologies’s Mystic Shield Protection hand sanitizer
- Tropicosmeticos’ Britz Hand Sanitizer Ethyl Alcohol 70%
- Yara Elena De La Garza Perez Nieto’s Daesi hand sanitizer
