Made in Mexico: 9 highly toxic hand sanitizers

Months ago after hand sanitizers first became virtually impossible to buy the Babylon Bee, a satirical website, concocted a hilarious post about Mexican drug cartels getting into the hand sanitizer business. I'm no longer laughing after seeing a news report on a FDA warning about hand sanitizers that contain methanol, which is so toxic it should be disposed of at a hazardous waste site.  

Who would do such a thing? A company in Mexico making 9 brands of hand sanitizers is doing it. As of Monday afternoon, the company hadn't responded to questions, so right now all that can be done is warn people against use of the products, which the article lists. 

Before posting the article, I'll mention news about a bottle of 80 percent isopropyl alcohol that burst into flames when it was left on the dashboard in a closed, overheated car.  The owner was using the alcohol she got from her company as a hand sanitizer. From my recollection of the article, it wasn't the first time something like this had been known to happen.

The article didn't say whether it was direct sunlight through the glass windshield or high temperature in the car that caused the alcohol to flame. Nor did it say whether the bottle was glass or plastic.  

Anyhow, everyone who cooks with alcohol knows it's highly flammable even at a low concentration. It's just that one doesn't automatically apply this knowledge to alcohol used for sanitizing, or assume that it can flame inside a bottle, without direct application of fire.  

Word to the wise; avoid leaving the stuff exposed to sunlight or high indoor temperature for any length of time.      

FDA warns consumers not to use these 9 ‘potentially dangerous’ hand sanitizers
NELSON OLIVEIRA
Jun 22nd 2020 3:42PM
Daily News via AOL

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning against nine types of hand sanitizer because they reportedly contain methanol, a toxic and “potentially dangerous” substance.

Consumers who have been exposed to hand sanitizers manufactured by Mexico’s Eskbiochem SA de CV should seek immediate treatment, which the agency said is critical to potentially reverse the toxic effects of methanol poisoning.

“Methanol is not an acceptable ingredient for hand sanitizers and should not be used due to its toxic effects,” Friday’s warning states.

The substance, also known as wood alcohol, can cause vomiting, nausea, headache, blurred vision, permanent blindness, seizures, coma, permanent damage to the nervous system or even death, according to the FDA.

Lavar Gel, one of the products tested by the agency, turned out to have 81% of methanol and no ethyl alcohol, FDA officials said. Another product, CleanCare No Germ, reportedly contained 28% of methanol.

Federal officials said they contacted Eskbiochem last week to recommend the removal of its hand sanitizer products from the market, but the government said the company has not responded.

“Therefore, FDA recommends consumers stop using these hand sanitizers and dispose of them immediately in appropriate hazardous waste containers,” the warning states.

The agency asked consumers not to flush or pour these products down the drain. [emphasis mine]

Eskbiochem did not immediately return an email seeking comment Monday afternoon.

Here are the nine hand sanitizers produced by the company:

• All-Clean Hand Sanitizer (NDC: 74589-002-01)
• Esk Biochem Hand Sanitizer (NDC: 74589-007-01)
• CleanCare NoGerm Advanced Hand Sanitizer 75% Alcohol (NDC: 74589-008-04)
• Lavar 70 Gel Hand Sanitizer (NDC: 74589-006-01)
• The Good Gel Antibacterial Gel Hand Sanitizer (NDC: 74589-010-10)
• CleanCare NoGerm Advanced Hand Sanitizer 80% Alcohol (NDC: 74589-005-03)
• CleanCare NoGerm Advanced Hand Sanitizer 75% Alcohol (NDC: 74589-009-01)
• CleanCare NoGerm Advanced Hand Sanitizer 80% Alcohol (NDC: 74589-003-01)
• Saniderm Advanced Hand Sanitizer (NDC: 74589-001-01)

[END REPORT]

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