Hand sanitizer recall: FDA says Medically Minded brand found to contain methanol
LOS ANGELES - Global Sanitizers, a wholesale producer, manufacturer and distributor of sanitizer solutions announced Thursday that is is voluntarily recalling 50,000 units of Medically Minded hand sanitizers after the U.S. Food & Drug Administration determined that the products contained methanol.
The FDA is warning consumers that large quantities of methanol can have severe health consequences including seizures, permanent blindness, permanent damage to the body’s nervous system and even death.
The specific hand sanitizer products that have been recalled contain the lot numbers E212020 and E082020. They have a "best by" date on their label of May 21, 2022.
Medically Minded hand sanitizer is typically packaged in 8.5 oz clear bottles with caps that have the universal product code 7675300359 printed on them.
The recalled sanitizers were distributed nationwide to various wholesale companies who sold them between July 2020 and August 2020.
RELATED: Study finds high levels of carcinogen in several hand sanitizer brands
This is not the first instance of contaminated hand sanitizer that could potentially be threatening to consumers.
In an independent study published in March, researchers found that some widely available hand sanitizers in the U.S. — which were rapidly produced in an effort to prevent infection amid the COVID-19 pandemic — contained high levels of a chemical known to cause cancer.
Out of 260 hand sanitizer products tested, 44 batches (17%) contained benzene, according to Valisure, an online pharmacy that tests medications and supplements for safety and consistency.
Benzene is a known human carcinogen, linked to leukemia and other cancers of blood cells. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, the World Health Organization’s cancer research arm, notes that that benzene exposure has been linked with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), multiple myeloma, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Methanol in hand sanitizer has been the source of several hospitalizations and even deaths as well.
In August, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a study that revealed a total of 15 people had been hospitalized due to ingesting hand sanitizer that contained methanol.
RELATED: CDC: 15 people hospitalized after ingesting hand sanitizer that contained methanol
The 15 cases were reported between May 1 and June 30 out of Arizona and New Mexico, with patients’ ages ranging between 21 and 65, according to the CDC.
Of the 15 people, four died, three experienced vision impairments, another four remain in the hospital and the remaining four were discharged with no lingering complications.
The FDA has also released an expanding list of hand sanitizer products recalled because of possible contamination with methanol, which can be poisonous if absorbed through the skin or ingested.