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The US Food and Drug Administration on Monday advised consumers to avoid nine types of hand sanitizers that may contain methanol, a toxic alcohol that can cause blindness if swallowed and systemic effects if absorbed through the skin.
All nine hand sanitizers are made by Eskbiochem SA de CV in Mexico. The agency said in its advisory that it discovered methanol while testing two of the company's products. One, called Lavar Gel, was 81-percent methanol—and no ethanol, a safe alcohol meant to be used in hand sanitizers. Another, CleanCare No Germ, was 2-percent methanol.
From the FDA advisory, the Eskbiochem SA de CV products are:
- All-Clean Hand Sanitizer (NDC: 74589-002-01)
- Esk Biochem Hand Sanitizer (NDC: 74589-007-01)
- CleanCare NoGerm Advanced Hand Sanitizer 75% Alcohol (NDC: 74589-008-04)
- Lavar 70 Gel Hand Sanitizer (NDC: 74589-006-01)
- The Good Gel Antibacterial Gel Hand Sanitizer (NDC: 74589-010-10)
- CleanCare NoGerm Advanced Hand Sanitizer 80% Alcohol (NDC: 74589-005-03)
- CleanCare NoGerm Advanced Hand Sanitizer 75% Alcohol (NDC: 74589-009-01)
- CleanCare NoGerm Advanced Hand Sanitizer 80% Alcohol (NDC: 74589-003-01)
- Saniderm Advanced Hand Sanitizer (NDC: 74589-001-01)
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Toxic Methanol that Causes Blindness Found in Hand Sanitizers, FDA Warns
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The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
Hacking's just another word for nothing left to kludge.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by The Mighty Buzzard on Wednesday June 24 2020, @12:57AM (44 children)
Why the hell do we need to put out warnings saying not to drink hand sanitizer? Not putting out the warning would be doing the gene pool a huge favor.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @01:02AM
》Why the hell do we need to put out warnings saying not to drink hand sanitizer?
Millennials. Once they empty out their Mom's liquor cabinet, they'll take anything that's liquid down to the basement to drink.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @01:04AM (15 children)
But then again, why do I even bother replying to a fucking troll...
(Score: 3, Informative) by The Mighty Buzzard on Wednesday June 24 2020, @05:49AM (14 children)
You need to read up more on methanol. Every glass of beer or wine you drink has methanol in it. Unlike liquor, it's not removed from non-distilled alcoholic beverages. The amount you absorb through your skin from using hand sanitizer properly isn't enough to harm you, even if you use it a dozen times a day. It might give you a wicked nasty hangover though; your liver can't process it out nearly as easily as ethanol.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 1, Troll) by The Mighty Buzzard on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:23PM (5 children)
Troll? Must've been a progressive. They're allergic to facts.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:30PM (3 children)
Come on, don't whine about a downmod like that one user.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1, Redundant) by The Mighty Buzzard on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:55PM (1 child)
That wasn't meant as a whine. I'm quite proud that I butthurt someone enough with verifiable facts that they rage-modded me.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @05:44PM
God damn, you can't even admit when you're obviously whining and lashing out.
Truly the narcest of cysts. Maybe you should run for POTUS.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @05:45PM
Jan? Yeah, he total whiner.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 25 2020, @02:09PM
'Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.' - Mark Twain
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:55PM (7 children)
The problem is that at least one was 81% methanol, as in almost totally methanol, which is very bad.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 3, Insightful) by The Mighty Buzzard on Wednesday June 24 2020, @03:00PM (6 children)
Methanol doesn't absorb into your skin any quicker than ethanol does, so here's an experiment to discover for yourself exactly how dangerous using methanol on your hands is:
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Freeman on Wednesday June 24 2020, @03:18PM (1 child)
Multiple people have said it would take quite a bit of it to cause the same bad effects that swallowing it would. Still, it's best not to have an item mislabeled, at the least. Accidentally ingesting x amount of ethanol isn't the same as accidentally ingesting the same amount of methanol. There's also the people that purposely drink it, which have their own kinds of problems, but still don't deserve to be blind due to improper manufacture.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Thursday June 25 2020, @09:24PM
This is true. I don't object to letting folks know, I object to trying to scare them when it's not warranted.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Thursday June 25 2020, @02:14PM (3 children)
It's a general warning meant to help the people, however few they may be, who might have sensitivity to methanol, more permeable skin, and / or comorbidities like existing liver problems or other diseases / conditions / medications that strain the liver.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Thursday June 25 2020, @09:25PM (2 children)
"Toxic Methanol that Causes Blindness" is not meant to inform, it's meant to frighten.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Friday June 26 2020, @03:12AM (1 child)
Yes, absolutely agree. Just trying to figure out why some people like fearmongering. Probably something to do with ego and power + control. Or at the very least fearmongers like to feel intellectually superior. But moms do it, and rightfully.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday June 26 2020, @05:24AM
Well, it is coming from a huge bureaucratic organization that loves nothing better than to say "Look at me! See how I proactively do stuff? My existence and budget are completely justified!"
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @01:06AM (1 child)
Because some idiots drink bleach.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 26 2020, @01:50AM
Yeah I like swimming too.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @01:11AM (6 children)
Why the hell don't they put a warning saying fapping causes blindness?!!11!!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @08:50AM (5 children)
They did. But numerous independent studies failed to reproduce the result, so it got retracted.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @01:14PM (1 child)
I have yet to reach a conclusion. I'm working on it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @03:18PM
Something tells me you won't reproduce.
(Score: 1) by RandomFactor on Wednesday June 24 2020, @04:25PM (2 children)
I believe there are studies still in progress.
В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @07:46PM (1 child)
I've been working on it late into the night for the past 20 years, and still have a long way to go.
(Score: 2, Funny) by RandomFactor on Wednesday June 24 2020, @09:18PM
Still married after all this time? That's so rare these days.
В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Wednesday June 24 2020, @01:51AM (2 children)
The summary mentioned that it also causes ill effects when absorbed through the skin. But yeah, hand sanitizer drinkers are worse than mouthwash drinkers.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Wednesday June 24 2020, @05:50AM
Dude, there's methanol in beer. Your liver doesn't like it nearly as much as ethanol but it's not cyanide.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 25 2020, @02:16PM
I've heard that Tide Pods neutralize methanol.
(Score: 4, Touché) by sjames on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:20AM (10 children)
It should be just fine as long as you don't get it on your skin.
(Score: 2, Informative) by The Mighty Buzzard on Wednesday June 24 2020, @05:54AM (9 children)
Nah, this is straight up fearmongering idiocy in an attempt to appear relevant. Yes, if you try drinking methanol like it's ethanol, you will go blind and die. No, if you use it on your hands, your liver is quite capable of removing the piddly amounts you're getting into your system. Just like it does when you drink small amounts of it in every glass of beer or wine you ever drink.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @03:24PM (1 child)
Say it again. [youtube.com]
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Thursday June 25 2020, @09:27PM
Cats or tits?
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Wednesday June 24 2020, @11:26PM (6 children)
I do agree that the level of alarm is a bit high, but it's generally not good for things to be more toxic than they need to be or for them to be unexpectedly toxic. Consider, some parents put it on small children's hands. Some parents are excessively worried these days and may apply hand sanitizer quite frequently.
Accidentally tipsy kid is almost funny, kid with optic nerve, liver, and kidney damage, not so much.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 25 2020, @02:19PM
We certainly live in an age of sensationalism and alarmism.
But as I commented above, some people might be particularly sensitive to, and / or compromised in some way that a little methanol could really hurt them.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by The Mighty Buzzard on Thursday June 25 2020, @09:29PM (4 children)
Dude, I want you to remember back to the first time you tried liquor. Now imagine your first shot being something >= 150 proof. Them swallowing a dangerous amount it is not a worry. Informing is good, frightening is bad.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Friday June 26 2020, @01:47AM (3 children)
I do remember. Had it been methanol, I'd have been in some real trouble.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday June 26 2020, @02:51AM (2 children)
A single shot of methanol shouldn't kill or blind a young, healthy person. They wouldn't enjoy the results but it isn't that toxic. Unless there was peer pressure or some such happening though, a shot of >80% alcohol of any variety would almost certainly make them not want to do it again.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Friday June 26 2020, @08:07PM (1 child)
I do remember one evening doing shots of 151. Not quite 80% but not far off. Of course, that was predominantly ethanol.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Saturday June 27 2020, @03:23AM
Well, yeah, but it wasn't your first time taking a shot, was it? I've taken shots of Everclear (not pleasant even if you quite enjoy doing shots of whiskey/tequila/whatever) while showing off before but if it'd been my first taste of liquor, I'd have stuck to beer permanently.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 5, Informative) by Hartree on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:54AM (3 children)
The sign read:
“Hold stick near center of its length. Moisten pointed end in mouth. Insert in tooth space, blunt end next to gum. Use gentle in-out motion.”
“It seemed to me,” said Wonko the Sane, “that any civilization that had so far lost its head as to need to include a set of detailed instructions for use in a package of toothpicks, was no longer a civilization in which I could live and stay sane.”
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @05:49PM (2 children)
"a toxic alcohol that can cause blindness if swallowed and systemic effects if absorbed through the skin"
Last time I checked sanitizer is applied directly to the skin. Warning seems pretty relevant, or is there some magic common sense that allows you to know if some sanitizer contains dangerous chemicals?
Woops, there I go again, trying to be reasonable with someone that just wants to feel superior. Can't believe you dragged Adams into this, poor guy would be rolling in his grave if he knew.
(Score: 2) by Hartree on Thursday June 25 2020, @03:36AM (1 child)
Wow. And here I thought it was just a joke. :)
Thank you for enlightening me on the deep reasons I posted that. I never would have guessed otherwise.
Do you have any other insights into me like why I like both The Carpenters and The Hu (Mongolian death metal band) or am I just schizophrenic?
(I'd ask about my guilty liking for Glen Campbell, but some mysteries of the universe are beyond the ken of mankind.)
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Thursday June 25 2020, @02:26PM
I grasped your humor. A good friend and I like to compare the ludicrous instructions we find on packaging.
It's quite simple really: proliferation of ridiculous lawsuits and absurd awards. A touchstone case was the McDonald's hot coffee in lap spill. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liebeck_v._McDonald's_Restaurants [wikipedia.org]