Watch Out for Methanol in Hand Sanitizer!
It’s important it is to keep our hands germ-free during normal circumstances, but that need has increased exponentially during this COVID-19 pandemic. We here at HealthCARE Express would like to remind the community that washing your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water is the most effective way to prevent the spread of germs and viruses on your hands.
Regularly using hand sanitizer with a high alcohol content has been one of the best ways to prevent the spread of the virus. However, the FDA has recently discovered that many brands of hand sanitizers have traces of a potentially dangerous chemical.
Some sanitizers that are labeled as containing ethanol (or ethyl alcohol) have tested positive as containing methanol. This substance can be toxic when absorbed through the skin or ingested. Accidental ingestion of this substance can lead to blindness, hospitalization, or death. Symptoms of substantial methanol poisoning are nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, headache, permanent blindness, seizure, coma, and nervous system damage. Stay vigilant when buying ethanol-based sanitizers as they might be contaminated with methanol. You may want to avoid buying ethanol sanitizers, in general, to ensure that you and your loved ones are not exposed.
Beware hand sanitizers that state they are FDA approved. No hand sanitizers are FDA approved. Make sure that the sanitizer you are using has enough of isopropyl or ethyl alcohol to kill germs. It may also sound like a no-brainer, but DO NOT ingest hand sanitizers. This is especially important with the risk of methanol poisoning present in some sanitizers.
You can learn more about this topic and see recalled brands here!
