FDA Warns Public To Trash This Hand Sanitizer For Fear Of Methanol

Wood alcohol may have found its way into a certain set of hand sanitizer bottles released to the public earlier this year. One voluntary recall was announced on behalf of Saniderm Advanced Hand Sanitizer, for their 1-liter bottles of consumer-level product. The recall was done after a news alert from the Food and Drug Administration for related toxic hand sanitizer manufacturing done by Eskbiochem SA de CV in Mexico.

Saniderm voluntarily announced – with the FDA – that they've recalled all products produced by Eskbiochem SA de CV with a "made in Mexico" origin. Saniderm suggested that they'd not yet received any reports of adverse events related to the product.

You'll be looking for a 1-liter plastic bottle with an orange twist-top cap. The label says Saniderm in blue on a white label, with "ADVANCED HAND SANITIZER" below. This product says "70% ALCOHOL CONTENT" and "Kills 99.9% of all germs" as well. This product says "Produced by Eskbiochem SA de CV" on the back and a Mexican address.

Saniderm suggested that the product in question was distributed in Virginia, Maryland, and New Jersey on April 15, 2020. It could've been purchased at any point on or around that date.

The parent company of Saniderm, UVT, INC., also issued a release with the FDA about the situation. They've suggested that they'll be voluntarily recalling 38,830 liters of SANIDERM ADVANCED HAND SANITIZER.

This recall was done due to the potential for these products to accidentally contain methanol (wood alcohol). Per the FDA, the risk with "substantial methanol exposure" is nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, permanent blindness, seizures, coma, permanent damage to the nervous system, or death.

THe FDA suggested that "Although all persons using these products on their hands are at risk, young children who accidentally ingest these products and adolescents and adults who drink these products as an alcohol (ethanol) substitute, are most at risk for methanol poisoning."

So wood alcohol isn't particularly safe in the first place... but there's a risk that children "who accidentally ingest these products" and "adolescents and adults who drink these products as an alcohol (ehanol substitute)" will do more damage to themselves than they would normally.

The FDA took drastic steps earlier this year to get hand sanitizer back on store shelves and available for public use again.