The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has added dozens of hand sanitizers to the list of those to avoid due to concerns about methanol contamination, ABC News reported on Monday.
"That should never be in a hand sanitizer," ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton said of methanol. "Its absorption can produce toxic, and in some cases, deadly results."
With prolonged exposure, methanol can cause blindness, nervous system and/or gastrointestinal issues or death, according to a 2017 study by the Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
The additions to the FDA list mean there are now 59 different brands of hand sanitizer that the public needs to avoid.
All of those on the list were apparently produced in Mexico, according to USA Today.
The sanitizers listed by the FDA have been tested to contain methanol or have been made in facilities where other products have been contaminated.
The FDA recommends hand-washing as the best way to protect against the coronavirus, using hand sanitizers only if soap and water are not available.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends, if a hand sanitizer is used, to do so with an alcohol-based one that has at least 60% ethanol.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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