F.D.A. Warns of Potentially Toxic Hand Sanitizers

[Judi Lynn]

Source: New York Times

The warning applies to nine lines of hand sanitizer manufactured in Mexico that contain methanol, or wood alcohol, which can be dangerous, the agency said.

By Christopher Mele
June 22, 2020, 2:10 p.m. ET

The Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers to avoid nine hand sanitizer products manufactured in Mexico because, it said, they may contain methanol, a substance that can be toxic if absorbed through the skin or ingested.

In an advisory dated Friday, the agency said it had tested samples of two products, Lavar Gel and CleanCare No Germ, and found they had 81 percent and 28 percent methanol, also known as wood alcohol.

“Methanol is not an acceptable ingredient for hand sanitizers and should not be used due to its toxic effects,” the agency said.

The F.D.A. said on June 17 that it had recommended that the manufacturer, Eskbiochem SA de CV of Mexico, remove its products from the market but that so far the company had not responded.

An Eskbiochem representative, Alexander Escamillo, said the manufacturer learned of the agency warning only on Monday.



Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/22/health/fda-Eskbiochem-toxic-hand-sanitizer-virus.html

[LisaL]

1. Oh great. If covid doesn't kill you, defective hand sanitizer just might.

[Cirque du So-What]

2. What product manager signed off on this?

Methanol in a product applied to the skin? Really?

[Hock_Mir_Keyn_Chinek]

3. That would be the Sociopathic one

who is only interested in short term profit, and does not care if he kills the customer, or the company he works for.

(We were actually warned about such types in management training classes several decades ago.)

[regnaD kciN]

4. According to the story...

...it was a "broker" who subcontracted out products for the company to other suppliers. Apparently, the person in question has vanished and deleted his contact information.

I'm curious as to why, if there are nine supposedly-lethal products, the story only named five of them? I'm particularly concerned about the possibility that some store-brand generic hand sanitizers may actually be plain-lable versions of these products.

[cannabis_flower]

7. Perhaps

Only 5 of them are being sold in the US.

[ProfessorGAC]

8. Mexican Laws

This formula will not catch on in the US.
The consumer product industry quit using denatured ethanol with 5% methanol in it in the 90s.
The methanol content in those products was 300-400 ppm.
And, the industry switched to go no methanol before the laws even got changed to require it.
They actually converted 5 years EARLY because the industry thought 350ppm was way too high.
So, nobody would do this anyway, (bad business) and now it wouldn't be legal.
But product laws in Mexico are different.
BTW: these products are 70-80%(!) methanol. Here in the US, 350ppm was considered too high nearly 30 years ago. These products have 2,000 times the methanol industry experts thought was too high a long while ago.

[DENVERPOPS]

5. also known as

"Squeeze" years ago????????????????

[Politicub]

6. I bought a large bottle of Walmart's Equate house brand sanitizer

and it smells like cheap tequila poured over hot garbage.

But was a steal for $8. I’m getting used to the smell.

[ProfessorGAC]

9. I've Been To That Plant

That product is registered with both the EPA & FDA. The latter because of the health claim of killing germs.
They CANNOT deviate from the formula for any reason, without prior approval of both regulatory bodies, which they wouldn't get. (They wouldn't even try. It would be a stupid business move.)
The "tequila" smell is one of two things:
If the active ingredient is isopropanol, that has an odor of methylpropyl aldehyde (also called isobutyl aldehyde). That's a tiny side component in tequila.
If the active ingredient is ethanol, it's the tertiary butyl alcohol put into denatured alcohol used in consumer products.
t-butyl alcohol is put in there because it has a highly unpalatable odor and is an emetic. The other denaturant is bitrex, which at super low levels makes aspirin taste like sugar.
The private label versions generally have less fragrance added, and are cheaper fragrances. So, that off smell is more pronounced.
They're 100% as effective and all but the bitrex evaporates in less than a minute. So, your hands won't smell from it.
The bitrex comes off with water, and it's a very tiny amount.

[Backseat Driver]

10. Obviously just a sourcing problem, LOL

A traveling salesman, no doubt: First sold to distilleries making or bottling cheap Tequila; then to corporate maker of hand sanitizer?

https://www.startribune.com/8-more-die-in-mexico-from-methanol-tainted-liquor/571063282/

Grifter salesmen stop in to see (rolls up sleeve to reveal those fake Rolexes) the chemical cooks

[burrowowl]

11. Kick

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

12. Kick