Dozens of hand sanitizers are potentially toxic, FDA warns

The Food and Drug Administration’s list of potentially toxic hand sanitizers continues to grow, with the agency warning of more products tainted with methanol.

The FDA’s latest warning to consumers and health care providers involves hand sanitizers labeled as containing ethanol, but tested positive for methanol. Also known as wood alcohol, methanol can be toxic when absorbed through the skin and deadly if swallowed.

The regulatory agency has expanded to 75 its list of sanitizers for consumers to avoid — some of which have already been recalled and some the FDA is recommending be recalled — for containing the potentially fatal substance.

“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,” the FDA stated.

Young children who accidentally ingest these products, as well as adolescents and adults who drink them as an alcohol substitute, are most at risk of methanol poisoning, according to the agency.

The lengthy list of potentially dangerous sanitizers (see below) includes brands sold at Walmart-owned Sam’s Club and BJ’s Wholesale Club.

The FDA in June initially warned consumers of nine hand sanitizers to avoid and has since added more brands that tested positive for methanol.

The agency’s warning comes amid heavy demand for sanitizer due to the coronavirus pandemic, with public health officials urging consumers to frequently wash their hands and to use hand sanitizer. For instance, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends using sanitizers that contain at least 60% ethanol alcohol, as well as frequent hand-washing.

The FDA urged consumers to stop using the methanol products, which should be immediately discarded in hazardous waste containers. “Do not flush or pour these products down the drain,” the agency counseled in June.

The following is the latest available list of all the potentially toxic sanitizers, according to the FDA:

4E Global’s Blumen Clear Advanced Hand Sanitizer with 70% Alcohol4E Global’s Blumen Advanced Instant Hand Sanitizer Clear Ethyl Alcohol 70%4E Global’s Blumen Advanced Instant Hand Sanitizer Clear4E Global’s Klar and Danver Instant Hand Sanitizer (labeled with Greenbrier International Inc.)4E Global’s Modesa Instant Hand Sanitizer Moisturizers and Vitamin E4E Global’s Blumen Advanced Hand Sanitizer4E Global’s Blumen Advanced Hand Sanitizer Aloe4E Global’s Blumen Advanced Instant Hand Sanitizer Lavender4E Global’s Blumen Clear Lear Advanced Hand Sanitizer4E Global’s Blumen Clear Advanced Hand Sanitizer4E Global’s The Honeykeeper Hand Sanitizer4E Global’s Blumen Advanced Hand Sanitizer Clear4E Global’s Blumen Clear Advanced Instant Hand Sanitizer4E Global’s Blumen Clear Advanced Instant Hand Sanitizer Aloe4E Global’s Blumen Clear Advanced Instant Hand Sanitizer Lavender4E Global’s Blumen Aloe Advanced Hand Sanitizer, with 70% Alcohol4E Global’s Blumen Advanced Hand Sanitizer Lavender, with 70% alcohol4E Global’s Blumen Advanced Hand Sanitizer Aloe, with 70% alcohol4E Global’s Blumen Antibacterial Fresh Citrus Hand Sanitizer4E Global’s Blumen Hand Sanitizer Fresh Citrus4E Global’s Klar and Danver Instant Hand Sanitizer4E Global’s Hello Kitty by Sanrio Hand Sanitizer4E Global’s Assured Instant Hand Sanitizer (Vitamin E and Aloe)4E Global’s Assured Instant Hand Sanitizer (Aloe and Moisturizers)4E Global’s Assured Instant Hand Sanitizer Vitamin E and Aloe4E Global’s Assured Instant Hand Sanitizer Aloe and Moisturizers4E Global’s Blumen Instant Hand Sanitizer Fragrance Free4E Global’s Blumen Instant Hand Sanitizer Aloe Vera4E Global’s Assured AloeAAA Cosmetica’s bio aaa Advance Hand Sanitizer AAA Cosmetica’s LumiSkin Advance Hand Sanitizer 4 ozAAA Cosmetica’s LumiSkin Advance Hand Sanitizer 16 ozAAA Cosmetica’s QualitaMed Hand Sanitizer DDI Multinacional’s Earths Amenities Instant Unscented Hand Sanitizer with Aloe Vera AdvancedDDI Multinacional’s Hand Sanitizer Agavespa SkincareDDI Multinacional’s Vidanos Easy Cleaning Rentals Hand Sanitizer Agavespa SkincareEskbiochem’s All-Clean Hand SanitizerEskbiochem’s Esk Biochem Hand SanitizerEskbiochem’s Lavar 70 Gel Hand SanitizerEskbiochem’s The Good Gel Antibacterial Gel Hand SanitizerEskbiochem’s CleanCare NoGerm Advanced Hand Sanitizer 80% AlcoholEskbiochem’s CleanCare NoGerm Advanced Hand Sanitizer 75% AlcoholEskbiochem’s CleanCare NoGerm Advanced Hand Sanitizer 80% AlcoholEskbiochem’s Saniderm Advanced Hand SanitizerGrupo Insoma’s Hand sanitizer Gel Unscented 70% AlcoholLimpo Quimicos’ Andy’s BestLimpo Quimicos’ Andy’sLimpo Quimicos’ GelclorLimpo Quimicos’ NeoNaturalLimpo Quimicos’ Plus AdvancedLiqesa Exportacion or Liq-E-S.A.’s Optimus Lubricants Instant Hand SanitizerMaquiladora Miniara’s Shine and Clean Hand SanitizerMaquiladora Miniara’s Selecto Hand SanitizerMystic International’s Mystic Shield Protection hand sanitizerSoluciones Cosmeticas’ Bersih Hand Sanitizer Gel Fragrance FreeSoluciones Cosmeticas’ Antiseptic Alcohol 70% Topical Solution hand sanitizerSoluciones Cosmeticas’ Hand sanitizer (labeled with Wet Look Janitorial and Gardening Corp.)Tropicosmeticos’ Britz Hand Sanitizer Ethyl Alcohol 70%Yara Elena De La Garza Perez Nieto’s Daesi hand sanitizerReal Clean Distribuciones’s Born Basic Anti-Bac Hand SanitizerReal Clean Distribuciones’s Anti-Bac Hand SanitizerReal Clean Distribuciones’s Scent Theory – Keep It Clean – Pure Clean Anti-bacterial Hand SanitizerReal Clean Distribuciones’s CavalryReal Clean Distribuciones’s ENLIVEN Hand Sanitizing GelReal Clean Distribuciones’s Lux Eoi Hand Sanitizing GelReal Clean Distribuciones’s Keep It CleanReal Clean Distribuciones’s Hand SanitizerMXL Comercial’s Hand Sanitizer Disinfectant Gel 70% Ethyl Alcohol (labeled with Resource Recovery & Trading LLC)MXL Comercial’s Hand Sanitizer Disinfectant Gel 70% Ethyl Alcohol Rinse Free Hand Rub (labeled with Resource Recovery & Trading LLC)ITECH 361’s All Clean Hand Sanitizer, Moisturizer and DisinfectantTransliquid Technologies’s Mystic Shield Protection hand sanitizerSaniderm Advanced Hand Sanitizer