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The FDA issues an alert for all hand sanitizers made in Mexico

2021-01-27T13:46:31.404Z


The agency noted that up to 84% of the products had traces of methanol, a toxic alcohol when absorbed through the skin. This is the first time that the agency has issued an import alert nationwide for any type of pharmaceutical product.


The country's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an import alert on Tuesday for

all alcohol-based gel disinfectants from Mexico

, until the agency can review the safety of the products.

The announcement was made after the agency noticed traces of a

harmful alcohol

in most of them.

"The agency has seen a rapid increase in hand sanitizing products from Mexico labeled as containing ethanol (also known as ethyl alcohol) but testing positive for methanol contamination," it said in a statement.

Calls to emergency services increase due to possible disinfectant exposure in the country

April 29, 202000: 29

Methanol

, or wood alcohol, is a substance that can be toxic when absorbed through the skin and

can be fatal when ingested

.

Methanol is not an acceptable ingredient in hand sanitizers or other medications, ”the agency says.

This

is the first time the agency has issued an import alert nationwide

for any type of pharmaceutical product, the FDA itself noted.

The agency had already recommended in June to get rid of nine brands of gel disinfectants manufactured by the company Eskbiochem SA de CV.

[Follow our coverage on the coronavirus pandemic]

The FDA found that

84%

of the samples tested from April to December 2020 were

not in compliance with its regulations

.

Also, more than half of the samples contained toxic ingredients, including methanol and / or 1-propanol, at dangerous levels.

"The use of hand sanitizers by consumers has increased significantly during the coronavirus pandemic, especially when soap and water are not accessible, and

the availability of poor quality products with dangerous and unacceptable ingredients will not be tolerated

," said Judy McMeekin, Ph.D., FDA Deputy Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs.

[Drinking disinfectant gel kills: there are already four victims.

But it can also be toxic on the hands]

The agency published and periodically updates a list of hand sanitizer products that should not be used, including those that the FDA has determined to contain methanol and / or 1-propanol.

In most cases,

methanol is not listed as an ingredient on the product label.

Exposure to methanol can cause nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, permanent blindness, seizures, coma, permanent nervous system damage or death, the agency warned.

Source: telemundo

All news articles on 2021-01-27

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