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posted by martyb on Tuesday June 23 2020, @11:53PM   Printer-friendly
from the not-just-in-california dept.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/06/toxic-methanol-that-causes-blindness-found-in-hand-sanitizers-fda-warns

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)

Original Submission

Related Stories

Toxic Hand Sanitizers Have Blinded and Killed Adults and Children, FDA Warns 51 comments

https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/07/toxic-hand-sanitizers-have-blinded-and-killed-adults-and-children-fda-warns/

Adults and children in the United States have been blinded, hospitalized, and, in some cases, even died after drinking hand sanitizers contaminated with the extremely toxic alcohol methanol, the Food and Drug Administration reports.

In an updated safety warning, the agency identified five more brands of hand sanitizer that contain methanol, a simple alcohol often linked to incorrectly distilled liquor that is poisonous if ingested, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin.
[...]
The newly identified products are as follows:

  • Hand sanitizer Gel Unscented 70% Alcohol, made by Grupo Insoma, S.A.P.I de CV (Mexico)
  • Mystic Shield Protection hand sanitizer, made by Transliquid Technologies (Mexico)
  • Berish Hand Sanitizer Gel Fragrance Free, made by Soluciones Cosmeticas SA de CV (Mexico)
  • Antiseptic Alcohol 70% Topical Solution hand sanitizer, made by Soluciones Cosmeticas SA de CV (Mexico)
  • Britz Hand Sanitizer Ethyl Alcohol 70%, made by Tropicosmeticos SA de CV (Mexico)

The full list of product codes can be found here.

Previously:
(2020-06-23) Toxic Methanol that Causes Blindness Found in Hand Sanitizers, FDA Warns


Original Submission

Mounting Poisonings, Blindness, Deaths as Toxic Hand Sanitizers Flood Market 36 comments

Mounting poisonings, blindness, deaths as toxic hand sanitizers flood market

The Food and Drug Administration is renewing warnings this week of dangerous hand sanitizers as it continues to find products that contain toxic methanol—a poisonous alcohol that can cause systemic effects, blindness, and death.

The agency's growing "do-not-use list" of dangerous sanitizers now includes 87 products. And with the mounting tally, the FDA also says there are rising reports from state health departments and poison control centers of injuries and deaths.

"We remain extremely concerned about the potential serious risks of alcohol-based hand sanitizers containing methanol," said FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn in a statement.

Previously:
Toxic Hand Sanitizers Have Blinded and Killed Adults and Children, FDA Warns
Toxic Methanol that Causes Blindness Found in Hand Sanitizers, FDA Warns


Original Submission

84% of Mexican Hand Sanitizers Toxic or Flawed; FDA Issues Drastic Alert 30 comments

https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/01/84-of-mexican-hand-sanitizers-toxic-or-flawed-fda-issues-drastic-alert/

The US Food and Drug Administration on Monday issued a first-of-its-kind alert to try to block the import of toxic hand sanitizers from Mexico, which have been flooding the market amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last June, the regulatory agency began issuing alerts and warnings for consumers about dangerous and counterfeit hand sanitizers, many of which were made in Mexico. Since then, the FDA has issued alerts on 226 products. An FDA survey conducted between April and December found that 84 percent of products tested from Mexico were not in compliance with FDA regulations.

[...] Along with spotting the dangerous products, the agency also said it began getting reports from states of methanol poisonings from sanitizers, which in some cases lead to blindness, cardiac effects, effects on the central nervous system, hospitalizations, and deaths in adults and children. The agency notes that methanol exposures can cause nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, permanent blindness, seizures, coma, permanent damage to the nervous system, or death. Though the products pose risks to anyone using the sanitizers properly—they can be absorbed through the skin—the products are most dangerous to small children who may drink them out of curiosity or adults who drink them as an alcohol substitute.

Previously:
Toxic Methanol that Causes Blindness Found in Hand Sanitizers, FDA Warns
Toxic Hand Sanitizers Have Blinded and Killed Adults and Children, FDA Warns
Mounting Poisonings, Blindness, Deaths as Toxic Hand Sanitizers Flood Market


Original Submission

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(1)
  • (Score: 1, Funny) by Zinnia Zirconium on Wednesday June 24 2020, @12:11AM (1 child)

    by Zinnia Zirconium (11163) on Wednesday June 24 2020, @12:11AM (#1011771) Homepage Journal

    I shouldn't be soaking my face mask in toxic methanol to kill the chroma virus?

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @01:01AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @01:01AM (#1011782)

      Do you let it dry before wearing it or are you anti-trump?

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by The Mighty Buzzard on Wednesday June 24 2020, @12:57AM (44 children)

    by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Wednesday June 24 2020, @12:57AM (#1011781) Homepage Journal

    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

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @01:02AM (#1011784)

      》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)

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @01:04AM (#1011785)

      and systemic effects if absorbed through the skin

      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)

        by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Wednesday June 24 2020, @05:49AM (#1011880) Homepage Journal

        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)

          by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:23PM (#1011971) Homepage Journal

          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)

            by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:30PM (#1011975) Journal

            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)

              by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:55PM (#1011982) Homepage Journal

              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

                by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @05:44PM (#1012064)

                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

              by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @05:45PM (#1012065)

              Jan? Yeah, he total whiner.

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 25 2020, @02:09PM

            by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 25 2020, @02:09PM (#1012401)

            '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)

          by Freeman (732) on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:55PM (#1011981) Journal

          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)

            by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Wednesday June 24 2020, @03:00PM (#1011985) Homepage Journal

            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:

            1. Pour yourself a bowl of everclear or other high-percentage ethanol source.
            2. Put your hand in it and wait until you're drunk.
            3. When you get tired of waiting for anything at all to happen except the outer layer of your skin getting dehydrated, admit that I'm right about it being idiotic fearmongering.
            --
            My rights don't end where your fear begins.
            • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Freeman on Wednesday June 24 2020, @03:18PM (1 child)

              by Freeman (732) on Wednesday June 24 2020, @03:18PM (#1011998) Journal

              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 RS3 on Thursday June 25 2020, @02:14PM (3 children)

              by RS3 (6367) on Thursday June 25 2020, @02:14PM (#1012406)

              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)

                  by RS3 (6367) on Friday June 26 2020, @03:12AM (#1012769)

                  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: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @01:06AM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @01:06AM (#1011786)

      Because some idiots drink bleach.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 26 2020, @01:50AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 26 2020, @01:50AM (#1012734)

        Yeah I like swimming too.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @01:11AM (6 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @01:11AM (#1011788)

      Why the hell do we need to put out warnings saying not to drink hand sanitizer?

      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)

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @08:50AM (#1011909)

        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)

          by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @01:14PM (#1011950)

          I have yet to reach a conclusion. I'm working on it.

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @03:18PM

            by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @03:18PM (#1011997)

            Something tells me you won't reproduce.

        • (Score: 1) by RandomFactor on Wednesday June 24 2020, @04:25PM (2 children)

          by RandomFactor (3682) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday June 24 2020, @04:25PM (#1012037) Journal

          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)

            by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @07:46PM (#1012122)

            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

              by RandomFactor (3682) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday June 24 2020, @09:18PM (#1012159) Journal

              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)

      by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Wednesday June 24 2020, @01:51AM (#1011810) Homepage

      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

        by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Wednesday June 24 2020, @05:50AM (#1011881) Homepage Journal

        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

        by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 25 2020, @02:16PM (#1012407)

        I've heard that Tide Pods neutralize methanol.

    • (Score: 4, Touché) by sjames on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:20AM (10 children)

      by sjames (2882) on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:20AM (#1011815) Journal

      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)

        by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Wednesday June 24 2020, @05:54AM (#1011883) Homepage Journal

        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)

          by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @03:24PM (#1011999)

          Say it again. [youtube.com]

        • (Score: 2) by sjames on Wednesday June 24 2020, @11:26PM (6 children)

          by sjames (2882) on Wednesday June 24 2020, @11:26PM (#1012191) Journal

          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

            by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 25 2020, @02:19PM (#1012409)

            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)

              by sjames (2882) on Friday June 26 2020, @01:47AM (#1012731) Journal

              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)

                  by sjames (2882) on Friday June 26 2020, @08:07PM (#1012958) Journal

                  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)

      by Hartree (195) on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:54AM (#1011833)

      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)

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @05:49PM (#1012066)

        "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)

          by Hartree (195) on Thursday June 25 2020, @03:36AM (#1012294)

          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

            by RS3 (6367) on Thursday June 25 2020, @02:26PM (#1012412)

            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]

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @01:15AM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @01:15AM (#1011789)

    https://s7d1.scene7.com/is/image/ShopHQ/491-451?DefaultImage=1&$472x472_jpg$ [scene7.com]

    When you see stuff like that on the shelves, you've got to wonder.

    • (Score: 2) by sjames on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:00AM

      by sjames (2882) on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:00AM (#1011811) Journal

      Truly an accident waiting to happen.

  • (Score: 1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @01:15AM (5 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @01:15AM (#1011790)

    As a self-identified Black businesswoman, I find it appalling that USA imports toxic hand cleaner from Mexico when the government could start a program to subsidize Black-owned companies to produce non-poisonous hand cleaners in the USA.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @01:36AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @01:36AM (#1011802)

      Or, you know, restart that prohibition, give the police something to do different from chasing self-identified Black businesswoman on the streets - that's a solution that should appeal to conservatives too.

    • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @07:32AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @07:32AM (#1011893)

      Quit identifying yourself, and do something about it. The process is literally so easy that illiterate rednecks have been doing it for centuries. The hard part is doing it legally. Quit looking to government. If government got out of the way, we'd have more white lightning than you can shake a stick at.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @08:56AM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @08:56AM (#1011911)

      But that would be missing the point. The best solution for many problems is to import as much toxic products as possible, and even subsidize them so they're cheaper than the non-toxic ones.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @01:33PM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @01:33PM (#1011959)

        Imported from Mexico? I thought we got all of our toxic products from China?

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 25 2020, @02:28PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 25 2020, @02:28PM (#1012413)

          Yes, some come through the southern port of Mexico.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:12AM (6 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:12AM (#1011812)

    They sometimes sneak that shit into their liquor, too.
    Methanol is CHEEP! If you are a tourist, stick to beer.

    • (Score: 5, Funny) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:33AM (5 children)

      by Rosco P. Coltrane (4757) on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:33AM (#1011824)

      Well you're right on that: nobody expects much alcohol in any north American beer, so nobody has any need to replace it with methanol.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @04:02AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @04:02AM (#1011857)

        Your post doesn't make any fucking sense in reply to mine.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:54PM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:54PM (#1011980)

        There are plenty of American beers with 10%+ ABV.

        • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @03:27PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @03:27PM (#1012001)

          10%? pffft that's what I give to my kids. Wake me up when you bring out the good stuff.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @10:18PM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @10:18PM (#1012177)

        Good lord you are showing your age. Got any "Japanese can't make good watches" jokes to follow that up with?

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 25 2020, @12:53AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 25 2020, @12:53AM (#1012227)

          You don't know much about the situation with alcohol poisoning in Mexico due to substituting CHEEP methanol for alcohol even in liquor.
          It's a serious problem, as people will sell liquor to resorts for CHEEP that is FAKE. Everybody profits except for the occasional unlucky customer who drinks too much from a particularly bad bottle. No problem though, the customer *probably* won't die and will be gone in a matter of days to be replaced by a new customer.

          This same adulteration scam you are seeing in the Mexican hand sanitizer.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:14AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:14AM (#1011814)

    I got methanol coming right out of my kitchen faucet. It goes great with Walmart's Great Value Colombian ground coffee.

  • (Score: 2) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:30AM (1 child)

    by Rosco P. Coltrane (4757) on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:30AM (#1011820)

    then ethanol is also. Meaning COVID-19 might be turning the entire world into chronic alcoholics. Unexpected side effect...

    • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @03:00AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @03:00AM (#1011835)
      True, but it's not a very effective way to absorb either alcohol. The only documented case of someone going blind from percutaneous exposure to methanol involves a factory worker who spilled a gallon of methanol on himself and let his clothes dry without changing them.
  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:57AM (9 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:57AM (#1011834)
    2% methanol is probably nothing to be worried about, unless you're totally daft and are actually ingesting the stuff. Percutaneous absorption of methanol, while it does happen, doesn't seem to be a very effective way to get enough methanol into the body to become a significant risk to health. You'd probably absorb less methanol from a 2% methanol, 80% ethanol hand sanitiser than your body produces in a typical day if you use it as intended. I'd be much more worried about that 81% methanol one, but it's still quite likely that methanol absorption even with that is not too severe. There was an incident [nih.gov] (see page 518) described of a factory worker who spilled a gallon of methanol on his trouser leg, let his clothes dry without changing them, felt dizzy the next day, and then woke up after a nap totally blind. But this was a guy who had continuous percutaneous exposure to a far larger quantity of methanol probably for at least a few hours as his pants dried. He was also probably inhaling significant quantities of methanol vapour while this was going on. Nevertheless, there's no good reason to deliberately expose oneself to such a chemical when it can be easily avoided.
    • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @05:19AM (8 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @05:19AM (#1011874)

      About 50% of poisonings per year are children under six years old and 90% of those are from ingestion. Believe me, those at the lower end of those ages love to drink from random containers they see and they can be surprisingly quick too.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @07:14AM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @07:14AM (#1011892)

        Humanity discovered parenting long ago, actually it was and still is a positive evolutionary trait.
        Why would one want to discard it today?

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @08:24AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @08:24AM (#1011904)

          Unless you want to constantly helicopter, and even then, your kids will get in trouble somehow eventually and there are millions of kids out there with plenty of split seconds to get into trouble collectively across the U.S. When it comes to the unexpected and unplanned for happening, here [youtu.be] is a better expansion by one of our generation's preeminent thinkers.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:57PM (5 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @02:57PM (#1011983)

        I got scared away from drinking until I was almost legal just from the smell of beer. I can't imagine thinking anything else containing alcohols would smell better at that age.

        • (Score: 3, Touché) by tizan on Wednesday June 24 2020, @03:48PM (4 children)

          by tizan (3245) on Wednesday June 24 2020, @03:48PM (#1012013)

          If only smell was a barrier....you must not have been around very small kids...
            have you not seen kids putting their finger in their diaper and into their mouths ? Ask any parents.

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @10:35PM

            by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2020, @10:35PM (#1012183)

            He's clearly not French if he is put off by horrendous odors so easily.

          • (Score: 2) by Freeman on Thursday June 25 2020, @03:06PM (2 children)

            by Freeman (732) on Thursday June 25 2020, @03:06PM (#1012427) Journal

            Kids will put the nastiest things in their mouths, if for no other reason than "I've not done that before." Kind of like some "adults".

            --
            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: 1) by Raul Alverez on Sunday June 28 2020, @11:41PM

    by Raul Alverez (11296) on Sunday June 28 2020, @11:41PM (#1013890)
    The recall information for the eskbiochem hand sanitizers with methanol is posted on their website: https://eskbiochem.co/press [eskbiochem.co] It seems like common sense but they recommend that people don't drink the hand sanitizer... https://eskbichem.co [eskbiochem.co] RA
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