SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (ABC4 News) – The FDA updated its recall list of hand sanitizers and is warning about the potential presence of dangerous methanol (wood alcohol) in hand sanitizers.
The FDA updated its warning for consumers and medical professionals that the agency has seen a sharp increase in hand sanitizer products that are labeled to contain ethanol (ethyl alcohol), but have tested positive for methanol contamination and have added a MedWatch alert.
Medwatch is a program for medical professionals and assists in reporting and keeping track of individual incidents. Information can be submitted here.
According to the FDA, the agency is aware of people ingesting hand sanitizer products contaminated with methanol, which has led to recent adverse events including blindness, hospitalizations, and death.
Download the entire list here:
The FDA states methanol is not an acceptable ingredient for hand sanitizers and must not be used due to its toxic effects.
The FDA has a list of FDA-tested and recalled hand sanitizers on the agency’s website, which is continually updated as dangerous products are discovered. The FDA’s investigation of methanol in hand sanitizers is ongoing.
The agency says not to use any hand sanitizers on this list. These products are potentially contaminated. The list is updated daily and outlines information on hand sanitizer labels for consumers to use to identify a product that has been tested by the FDA and found to contain methanol.
Methanol is dangerous for people, and substantial methanol exposure can result in nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, permanent blindness, seizures, coma, permanent damage to the nervous system or death. Although all persons using these products on their hands are at risk, young children who accidentally ingest these products and adolescents and adults who drink these products as an alcohol (ethanol) substitute, are most at risk for methanol poisoning.
