If you are someone who uses a lot of hand sanitizer, it is important that you know where it comes from and that the contents are safe for human use. The Food and Drug Administration recently banned toxic hand sanitizers that have been distributed throughout the United States. What is perhaps more surprising is that most were made in the USA, too.
When you buy hand sanitizer, you know you want a high alcohol percentage, because that’s what kills germs. What you may not know is that there are different types of alcohol. While ethanol is safe for use on the skin, methanol was found in many of these products. Methanol is toxic and can cause many serious health problems.
Methanol is better known as wood alcohol. It causes some serious complications, such as:
- Permanent blindness
- Vomiting
- Seizures
- Death if ingested, in some cases
People who have used the recalled sanitizers need to seek medical attention right away. Rapid treatment is essential to preventing or reversing the effects caused by methanol poisoning. Signs of methanol poisoning include:
- Vomiting
- Headaches
- Blurred vision
- Blindness
- Coma
- Permanent damage to the nervous system
- Seizures
- Death
While many different companies have produced sanitizer containing methanol, one Coral Gables, was added to the FDA’s banned list along with a recall.
If you have used these products and have complications as a result, the company may be held liable. There is no excuse for releasing toxic sanitizers onto the market, and it is fair for you to ask that the manufacturer, and others involved in the production and sale of the products, are held accountable.