FDA adds even more hand sanitizers to its list of ones to avoid. Here’s the latest batch

The Food and Drug Administration added even more hand sanitizers to its list of products to avoid during the coronavirus pandemic, saying the products contain toxic wood alcohol.

What’s going on?

• The FDA updated its list of products that contain wood alcohol, which can be toxic if absorbed through your skin.
• The Mexico-based company 4E Global sells more than 24 of these hand sanitizers, which contain methanol (or wood alcohol). The sanitizers have been recommended for a recall.
• The new ones to avoid come from 4E Global, SAPI de CV (Mexico) and include the Blumen label and have 70% alcohol.
• See the full list at the FDA.
• The FDA said: “The agency is aware of adults and children ingesting hand sanitizer products contaminated with methanol that has led to recent adverse events including blindness, hospitalizations and death.”
• Exposure to methanol can lead to nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, permanent blindness, seizures, coma, permanent damage to the nervous system or death, according to the FDA.

More added to the list

• Back in late June, the FDA added a number of hand sanitizers to its list of ones to avoid. These came from the company Eskbiochem SA de CV in Mexico, as I wrote about for the Deseret News.
• The hand sanitizers “can be toxic when absorbed through the skin or ingested,” according to the FDA.