Mexican Hand Sanitizer Is Unsafe, FDA Import Alert Says

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to use hand sanitizers from Mexico. 

In an alert published Tuesday, the agency says too many lines of hand sanitizers imported from Mexico are being made with methanol, a potentially toxic compound.

The FDA says the import alert will help stop these hand sanitizers from getting into U.S. stores but warn hand sanitizers made from methanol are already out there. 

Methanol, also known as wood alcohol, can cause vomiting, headaches, blurred vision, permanent blindness, seizures, coma and/or permanent damage to the nervous system, according to an alert first published on the FDA website in July. 

Methanol wasn’t the only problem with some of the imported Mexican hand sanitizers. The FDA says more than half of the samples taken for testing showed dangerous levels of 1-propanol, according to the import alert, an industrial-grade solvent four times stronger than ethanol alcohol that can be deadly if ingested.

From May to June of 2020, 15 cases of methanol-based sanitizer poisoning were reported in Arizona and New Mexico, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Three of those cases resulted in death, while three others reported visual impairment.  

In total, the FDA reported that 84 percent of the samples taken from the hand sanitizer imports were not in compliance with the agency’s safety standards. 

The FDA has seen a spike in unsafe hand sanitizers imports from Mexico since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, according to the alert, but Mexico isn’t the sole source.  

Fourteen warning letters have been sent by the FDA to domestic companies selling hand sanitizer with unapproved ingredients. 

“Poor-quality products with dangerous and unacceptable ingredients will not be tolerated,” said FDA regulator Judy McMeekin.  

For those concerned about whether their hand sanitizer is safe, the FDA has set up a search tool on its website to check. 

Make sure to check the label for the ingredients, the FDA advises. Ethyl and isopropyl alcohols are safe but methyl and 1-propyl alcohols are not. The FDA says not to use hand sanitizers that don’t list any ingredients at all. 

Another key thing to look out for are bogus endorsements. The agency says products marketed as “FDA approved” are fraudulent because hand sanitizers do not get this kind of review.  

The import alert on Mexican hand sanitizer marks the first of its kind from the agency for drug products, according to the FDA. 

Top Class Actions is tracking the ever-expanding collection of litigation arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the latest developments on how the virus is playing out in the courts. 

How careful are you in checking the label on your hand sanitizers? Do you own any hand sanitizer imported from Mexico? Let us know in the comments below. 

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