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Experts said some manufacturers deliberately replaced ethanol with methanol in their now recalled hand sanitizer products to cut costs and stay abreast of demand amid a shortage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Food and Drug Administration has continuously updated its list of hazardous hand sanitizers, which has since grown to nearly 150 products, due to the presence of the toxic chemical.
All cleaners – introduced in the market at a time of increased risk – were recalled by the manufacturer or distributor after testing positive for methanol, a substance commonly used to make fuel and antifreeze . The chemical can be toxic if absorbed through the skin and potentially fatal if ingested, according to the FDA.
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The list has been rapidly updated since June when the regulator observed an increase in sanitizers for hands that contained pure ethanol but tested positive for methanol contamination.
Patrick Penfield, a professor of supply chain management at the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University, told Newsweek that there was pressure to use the toxic chemicals instead of ethyl alcohol because “the price of this ingredient skyrocketed. “
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Penfield said the price increase was a direct result of global demand for sanitizer following the outbreak of the new coronavirus pandemic.
“So to meet the demand of the US hand sanitizer, some Mexican hand sanitizer manufacturers began replacing ethyl alcohol with methanol to keep prices low and deliver to their customers,” he told the outlet.
Aline Holmes, a clinical associate professor at Rutgers University School of Nursing, said the decision by manufacturers to switch to the harmful chemical was “conscious”, according to Newsweek.
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In most cases, the toxic chemical does not appear on the label, according to the FDA. “However, methanol is not an acceptable ingredient in any of the medicines, including hand sanitizer, even though methanol is mentioned as an ingredient on the product label,” the agency said.
Misuse by the manufacturer to recall all potentially affected products “puts consumers at risk of methanol poisoning,” the agency said.
Excessive exposure can result in nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, permanent blindness, seizures, coma, permanent damage to the nervous system or death, according to the FDA. Consumers experiencing symptoms should “seek immediate treatment,” the agency said.
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At a time when consumers are using the product at a higher rate, the FDA is asking consumers not to use sanitizer products from any of the listed manufacturers, even if the product as a particular lot number has not been recalled since. “Some manufacturers only recall certain – but not all – of their sanitizer products by hand,” the FDA said.
The agency is also working proactively with manufacturers to recall products and urges distributors and retailers to “immediately” stop distributing and selling the gel sanitizers because of the risk of methanol poisoning.
A majority of methanol hand sanitizers appear to be produced in Mexico.
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