More than half of hand sanitizers imported from Mexico contain dangerous levels of toxic ingredients and should not be used by consumers, according to the US Food and Drug Administration. In January alone, more than 900 accidental poisonings involving hand sanitizer were reported in the United States, the vast majority involving young children.
The FDA issued a nationwide import alert on Tuesday for alcohol-based hand sanitizers in Mexico, the agency’s latest attempt to address a pandemic-peak induced in products contaminated with methanol or wood alcohol. The substance, which in most cases is not listed as an ingredient on labels, can be toxic when absorbed through the skin and can be life-threatening when ingested.
“Although people who use these products on their hands are at risk of methanol poisoning, young children who ingest these products and adolescents and adults who consume these products as alcohol substitutes are most at risk,” the FDA said.
Increased use of hand sanitizers has led to a increase in accidental poisoning, involving mostly children. According to data from the National Poison Data System, there were 938 cases of exposure to hand sanitizer reported at 55 U.S. poison control centers over a 10-day period, from January 1, 2021 to January 10, an increase of 57% compared to a year ago. Of these cases, almost 600 involved children aged 5 and under.
“During the ongoing pandemic, the agency saw a sharp increase in hand sanitizers in Mexico that were labeled to contain ethanol (also known as ethyl alcohol), but tested positive for methanol contamination.” said the FDA.
Long list of recalls
The FDA has for months warned consumers against using a long list of methanol-containing hand sanitizers, calling it a serious safety issue that has led to blindness, hospitalization and death. Exposure to methanol can also lead to nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, seizures, coma and permanent nervous system damage, the agency said.
“Consumers’ use of hand sanitizers has increased significantly during the coronavirus pandemic, especially when soap and water are inaccessible and the availability of poor quality products with dangerous and unacceptable ingredients will not be tolerated,” Judy said. McMeekin, associate commissioner for regulatory affairs at the FDA, said in a statement Tuesday.
The import alert – the first agency for any category of medicinal products, he said – follows an FDA analysis that found that 84% of hand sanitizers in Mexico sampled from April to December 2020 do not comply with FDA regulations. Most of the samples contained dangerous amounts of toxic ingredients, including methanol and / or 1-propanol.
Shipments of hand sanitizers from Mexico can now be detained by the FDA and will be subject to increased control, the agency said.