The FDA has added to its list of potentially harmful hand sanitizer products, bringing the list to a new total of 75 products potentially containing methanol.
The list still only includes products manufactured in Mexico, and the FDA has implemented an import alert on Friday for some products, in addition to the recalls and recommended recalls.
“FDA is warning consumers and health care providers that the agency 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,” the FDA said in a statement. “Methanol, or wood alcohol, is a substance that can be toxic when absorbed through the skin or ingested and can be life-threatening when ingested.”
The FDA has expanded its list of hand sanitizer products to avoid because they may contain toxic methanol. https://t.co/KheybXcct9 pic.twitter.com/WmCZc7CQWy
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) July 20, 2020
The FDA website added that the agency has received reports of adults and children ingesting hand sanitizer products that contain methanol, which has led to side affects including blindness, hospitalizations and death.
A good portion of the hand sanitizer products are on the list because they were manufactured in the same plant and using the same equipment as products proven to contain methanol.
In a time where hand sanitizer is in such high demand, the FDA actually relaxed its own guidelines for potentially harmful ingredients allowed in hand sanitizer products, especially those made in facilities that create ethanol for other uses. But even moving the goalposts that way might not be enough to conquer the hand sanitizer shortage, since one big part of it is a lack of material to make the bottles themselves.
