Our mission to help you navigate the new normal is fueled by subscribers. To enjoy unlimited access to our journalism, subscribe today.
At the onset of COVID, hand sanitizer was nearly impossible to find. Now it’s everywhere—but not all brands are created equal.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday released a list of hand sanitizer products consumers should avoid. Some are ineffective, others could be deadly.
Some of these hand sanitizers have low levels of isopropyl alcohol or ethyl alcohol, that make them ineffective in preventing the spread of disease—a critical feature during a pandemic. But most of the products that the FDA is warning consumers about are products contaminated with methanol, which can be harmful, or evenly deadly, when absorbed or consumed.
The FDA outlined 114 hand sanitizers to avoid, including the Hello Kitty brand, three Modesa brand hand sanitizers, and 24 different Blumen hand sanitizers. The Blumen brands and Hello Kitty brand are contaminated by methanol, and made by 4E Global SAPI de CV in Mexico, according to the FDA. Blumen has already issued a voluntary recall.
“FDA is warning consumers and health care providers that the agency has seen a sharp increase in hand sanitizer products that are labeled to contain ethanol (also known as ethyl alcohol) but that have tested positive for methanol contamination,” according to Monday’s FDA warning. “Methanol, or wood alcohol, is a substance that can be toxic when absorbed through the skin or ingested and can be life-threatening when ingested.”
You can find the full list of the 114 hand sanitizers that the FDA urges consumers to avoid here.
The FDA recommends Americans wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. And if soap isn’t available, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends Americans use hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent ethanol, otherwise known as ethyl alcohol.
