The Food and Drug Administration has issued a new warning Monday to not use hand sanitizers that contain methanol or wood alcohol, which are toxic chemicals that can be absorbed through the skin.
The substance is “often used to create fuel and antifreeze that can be toxic when absorbed through the skin as well as life-threatening when ingested,” according to the FDA.
“Practicing good hand hygiene, which includes using alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not readily available, is an important public health tool for all Americans to employ. 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,” said FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn. “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.”
The FDA has released a list of do-not-use products, which has been updated throughout the last few months as people flock to use more hand sanitizer because of the coronavirus pandemic.
You can view the full list here.
Back in June, the FDA banned nine hand sanitizers created by the company Eskbiochem SA de CV in Mexico, as I wrote for Deseret.com. Not longe rafter, the FDA banned five more versions of hand sanitizer.
The FDA previously said it’s important to wash your hands with soap and water after going to the bathroom, before you eat, and after you cough, sneeze or blow your nose, as I wrote about for Deseret News.