It’s understandable, in the rush to provide answers for your clients’ desperate calls for hand sanitizer, that you scrambled for suppliers outside your normal trusted list. But, if that rush took you to Mexico, you need to double-check your shipments. Like NOW.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is alerting purchasers to Saniderm Products and UVT Inc.’s voluntary recall of Saniderm Advanced Hand Sanitizer. Following the FDA’s recommendation, the two distributors agreed to recall Saniderm Advanced Hand Sanitizer packaged in 1-liter plastic bottles and labeled with “Made in Mexico” and “Produced by: Eskbiochem SA de CV.”
The FDA advises end-users not to use any hand sanitizer manufactured by Eskbiochem SA de CV in Mexico, due to the potential presence of methanol (wood alcohol), a substance that can be toxic when absorbed through the skin or ingested. While most health officials still say soap and water is the best way to keep your hands virus-free, when you’re not near a sink, hand sanitizers are the next best thing. But, to get the maximum benefit from hand sanitizers, the CDC recommends people use a product that contains at least 60% ethanol or other alcohols, but NOT methanol.
Most ingredient lists for hand sanitizer should contain a small amount of hydrogen peroxide to prevent microbes from growing in the sanitizer, and a bit of glycerol to help moisturize skin and prevent dermatitis. Other moisturizing compounds you might find in liquid hand sanitizers include poly(ethylene glycol) and propylene glycol. When an alcohol-based hand sanitizer is rubbed into the skin, its ethanol evaporates, leaving behind the soothing compounds.
Here are the products the FDA has identified as manufactured by Eskbiochem:
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)
Here are the other hand sanitizer products the FDA has identified as containing Methanol:
Grupo Insoma’s Hand Sanitizer Gel Unscented, 70% alcohol)
Transliquid Technologies’ Mystic Shield Protection Hand Sanitizer
Soluciones Cosmeticas’ Bersih Hand Sanitizer Gel Fragrance Free and Antiseptic Alcohol 70% Topical Solution Hand Sanitizer
Tropicosmeticos’ Britz Hand Sanitizer Ethyl Alcohol 70%
The FDA tested samples of Lavar Gel and CleanCare No Germ. Lavar Gel contains 81 percent methanol and no ethyl alcohol, and CleanCare No Germ contains 28 percent methanol. Again, methanol is NOT an acceptable ingredient for hand sanitizers and should not be used due to its toxic effects. Substantial methanol exposure can cause nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, permanent blindness, seizures, coma, permanent damage to the nervous system or death. Although all adults using these products on their hands are at risk, young children who accidently drink these products and young adults who drink these products as an alcohol substitute, are most at risk for methanol poisoning.
The FDA contacted Eskbiochem in the middle of June to recommend the company remove its hand sanitizer products from the market due to the risks associated with methanol poisoning. As of now, the company has not taken action to remove these products from the market. As a result, the FDA has taken the action of directly recommending consumers immediately stop using these hand sanitizers and dispose of them in appropriate hazardous waste containers. The FDA list of hand sanitizers containing Methanol (despite not listed on the ingredients on the bottle) continues to grow, you can find the most recent here. One note to pass along, these products should NOT be flushed or poured down the drain.
While I am sure you have been carefully vetting your suppliers, if in the rush to help provide these kinds of products to the market something may have slipped through, now is the time to act. Do your homework on this and if there’s a risk, make the time to save someone from potential injury, or worse. Do it out of, as they say, an abundance of caution. Do it because it's the right thing to do.
Jeff Jacobs has been an expert in building brands and brand stewardship for 40 years, working in commercial television, Hollywood film and home video, publishing, and promotional brand merchandise. He’s a staunch advocate of consumer product safety and has a deep passion and belief regarding the issues surrounding compliance and corporate social responsibility. He retired as executive director of Quality Certification Alliance, the only non-profit dedicated to helping suppliers provide safe and compliant promotional products. Before that, he was director of brand merchandise for Michelin. Connect with Jeff on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, or read his latest musings on food, travel and social media on his personal blog jeffreypjacobs.com. Email jacobs.jeffreyp@gmail.com.