Target, Walmart Hand Sanitizers Latest To Join FDA List Of Potentially Toxic Products
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A new warning about potentially dangerous hand sanitizers.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has expanded its list of potentially deadly hand sanitizer products.
With the recent demand, several new companies have been selling the product, but the FDA says they contain unsafe alcohols.
Target and Walmart issued recalls Tuesday for two potentially toxic hand sanitizers that were sold in stores and online.
Target's "Born Basic" and Walmart's "Scent Theory" bring the expanded list of recalled sanitizers to more than 75. The recalled brands contain methanol, a chemical used to create fuel and antifreeze. And it can make you sick if absorbed through the skin.
"Nausea, vomiting, headache, maybe pins and needles funny feeling, but the real classic symptom is blindness or vision disturbance," said Dr. Baruch Fertel of the Cleveland Clinic.
At least two people in Arizona had to call poison control recently after using a recalled brand.
"Those people admit to using it 10 to 15 times per day, three to four day in a row. On the fourth or fifth day, they started to experience some vision impairment," said Dr. Steven Dudley, Director of Arizona Poison and Drug.
In both cases, vision returned after the patient stopped using the hand sanitizer. Health experts say methanol can be present in sanitizers when they're not properly manufactured and methanol won't be listed by the label.
"We really have to buy hand sanitizer from a reputable source or a reputable manufacturer," said Dr. Fertel.
And if you're still unsure about hand sanitizer, experts say you already have a great solution at home. Soap and water are extremely effective at preventing the virus from spreading. Many of the recalled hand sanitizers come from outside of the country and the FDA has issues a warning to one company in Mexico and placed their products on a do not import list.
The following is the latest available from the FDA:
- 4E Global's Blumen Clear Advanced Hand Sanitizer with 70% Alcohol
- 4E Global's Blumen Advanced Instant Hand Sanitizer Clear Ethyl Alcohol 70%
- 4E Global's Blumen Advanced Instant Hand Sanitizer Clear
- 4E Global's Klar and Danver Instant Hand Sanitizer (labeled with Greenbrier International Inc.)
- 4E Global's Modesa Instant Hand Sanitizer Moisturizers and Vitamin E
- 4E Global's Blumen Advanced Hand Sanitizer
- 4E Global's Blumen Advanced Hand Sanitizer Aloe
- 4E Global's Blumen Advanced Instant Hand Sanitizer Lavender
- 4E Global's Blumen Clear Lear Advanced Hand Sanitizer
- 4E Global's Blumen Clear Advanced Hand Sanitizer
- 4E Global's The Honeykeeper Hand Sanitizer
- 4E Global's Blumen Advanced Hand Sanitizer Clear
- 4E Global's Blumen Clear Advanced Instant Hand Sanitizer
- 4E Global's Blumen Clear Advanced Instant Hand Sanitizer Aloe
- 4E Global's Blumen Clear Advanced Instant Hand Sanitizer Lavender
- 4E Global's Blumen Aloe Advanced Hand Sanitizer, with 70% Alcohol
- 4E Global's Blumen Advanced Hand Sanitizer Lavender, with 70% alcohol
- 4E Global's Blumen Advanced Hand Sanitizer Aloe, with 70% alcohol
- 4E Global's Blumen Antibacterial Fresh Citrus Hand Sanitizer
- 4E Global's Blumen Hand Sanitizer Fresh Citrus
- 4E Global's Klar and Danver Instant Hand Sanitizer
- 4E Global's Hello Kitty by Sanrio Hand Sanitizer
- 4E Global's Assured Instant Hand Sanitizer (Vitamin E and Aloe)
- 4E Global's Assured Instant Hand Sanitizer (Aloe and Moisturizers)
- 4E Global's Assured Instant Hand Sanitizer Vitamin E and Aloe
- 4E Global's Assured Instant Hand Sanitizer Aloe and Moisturizers
- 4E Global's Blumen Instant Hand Sanitizer Fragrance Free
- 4E Global's Blumen Instant Hand Sanitizer Aloe Vera
- 4E Global's Assured Aloe
- AAA Cosmetica's bio aaa Advance Hand Sanitizer
- AAA Cosmetica's LumiSkin Advance Hand Sanitizer 4 oz
- AAA Cosmetica's LumiSkin Advance Hand Sanitizer 16 oz
- AAA Cosmetica's QualitaMed Hand Sanitizer
- DDI Multinacional's Earths Amenities Instant Unscented Hand Sanitizer with Aloe Vera Advanced
- DDI Multinacional's Hand Sanitizer Agavespa Skincare
- DDI Multinacional's Vidanos Easy Cleaning Rentals Hand Sanitizer Agavespa Skincare
- Eskbiochem's All-Clean Hand Sanitizer
- Eskbiochem's Esk Biochem Hand Sanitizer
- Eskbiochem's Lavar 70 Gel Hand Sanitizer
- Eskbiochem's The Good Gel Antibacterial Gel Hand Sanitizer
- Eskbiochem's CleanCare NoGerm Advanced Hand Sanitizer 80% Alcohol
- Eskbiochem's CleanCare NoGerm Advanced Hand Sanitizer 75% Alcohol
- Eskbiochem's CleanCare NoGerm Advanced Hand Sanitizer 80% Alcohol
- Eskbiochem's Saniderm Advanced Hand Sanitizer
- Grupo Insoma's Hand sanitizer Gel Unscented 70% Alcohol
- Limpo Quimicos' Andy's Best
- Limpo Quimicos' Andy's
- Limpo Quimicos' Gelclor
- Limpo Quimicos' NeoNatural
- Limpo Quimicos' Plus Advanced
- Liqesa Exportacion or Liq-E-S.A.'s Optimus Lubricants Instant Hand Sanitizer
- Maquiladora Miniara's Shine and Clean Hand Sanitizer
- Maquiladora Miniara's Selecto Hand Sanitizer
- Mystic International's Mystic Shield Protection hand sanitizer
- Soluciones Cosmeticas' Bersih Hand Sanitizer Gel Fragrance Free
- Soluciones Cosmeticas' Antiseptic Alcohol 70% Topical Solution hand sanitizer
- Soluciones Cosmeticas' Hand sanitizer (labeled with Wet Look Janitorial and Gardening Corp.)
- Tropicosmeticos' Britz Hand Sanitizer Ethyl Alcohol 70%
- Yara Elena De La Garza Perez Nieto's Daesi hand sanitizer
- Real Clean Distribuciones's Born Basic Anti-Bac Hand Sanitizer
- Real Clean Distribuciones's Anti-Bac Hand Sanitizer
- Real Clean Distribuciones's Scent Theory – Keep It Clean – Pure Clean Anti-bacterial Hand Sanitizer
- Real Clean Distribuciones's Cavalry
- Real Clean Distribuciones's ENLIVEN Hand Sanitizing Gel
- Real Clean Distribuciones's Lux Eoi Hand Sanitizing Gel
- Real Clean Distribuciones's Keep It Clean
- Real Clean Distribuciones's Hand Sanitizer
- MXL Comercial's Hand Sanitizer Disinfectant Gel 70% Ethyl Alcohol (labeled with Resource Recovery & Trading LLC)
- MXL Comercial's Hand Sanitizer Disinfectant Gel 70% Ethyl Alcohol Rinse Free Hand Rub (labeled with Resource Recovery & Trading LLC)
- ITECH 361's All Clean Hand Sanitizer, Moisturizer and Disinfectant
- Transliquid Technologies's Mystic Shield Protection hand sanitizer
- Saniderm Advanced Hand Sanitizer
The products may be toxic when absorbed through the skin or ingested.
