FDA announces recall of SkinGuard24, other toxic hand sanitizers sold

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning regarding a hand sanitizer called SkinGuard24 and 10 others that have tested positive for methanol contamination. The hand sanitizer recall list has climbed beyond 100 products since the FDA issued its first recalls in June.

SkinGuard24 lists methanol as one of its ingredients, and the FDA has stated that absorption of the chemical through the skin or its oral ingestion can lead to rashes, illness, irreversible nerve damage and even death.

Other hand sanitizers recently placed on the FDA’s not-to-use list for methanol include Florance Morris Body Care Antiseptic Hand Sanitizer from Grupo Asimex of Mexico, Antiseptic Hand Sanitizer Florance Morris Body Care from Asimex International, and Florance Morris Body Care antiseptic hand sanitizer from Roldan Industries. , OZO Ozone hand sanitizer gel from Soluciones Dinámica, Goldsquare hand sanitizer and Germ Killa 70% alcohol hand gel from Medi Science laboratories.

Newsweek contacted SkinGuard24 for comment.

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Most hand sanitizers are isopropyl alcohol, ethanol, or n-propanol in concentrations of 60-95%, as these chemicals destroy the molecular structure of germs, viruses and other microorganisms that cause disease.

The sale of hand sanitizers has increased since the start of the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, as more people seek to clean their hands from possible transmission of coronavirus.

As such, the FDA closely monitors the safety, production, and ingredients of hand sanitizers, issuing public warnings on sanitizers containing methanol and 1-propanol in particular. Anyone who encounters unsafe hand sanitizers is encouraged to report them to the FDA at 1-800-332-1088.

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“Significant exposure to methanol can cause nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, permanent blindness, seizures, coma, permanent nervous system damage or death,” the FDA wrote in a Monday alert email.

According to the Methanol Institute, the global trade association for the methanol industry, ingesting as little as one to four ounces of methanol can cause irreversible damage to the nervous system, systemic acidosis (an accumulation of acid in the body causing the kidneys to stop), optic nerve damage and blindness or worse.

Exposure to methanol can also cause headache, weakness, drowsiness, nausea, difficulty breathing, eye irritation, blurred vision, and loss of consciousness. These symptoms can appear even 18 to 30 hours after ingestion.

The FDA suggests rinsing the skin or eyes with lukewarm water if exposed to methanol and contacting a poison control center or seeing a doctor immediately if someone swallows methanol.

“Although everyone who uses these products on their hands is at risk, young children who accidentally ingest these products and adolescents and adults who drink these products as an alcohol substitute (ethanol) are most at risk of poisoning. methanol “, continues the alert.

On August 13, the FDA added different hand sanitizers from four US states and China to its not-to-use list.