A total of 15 adults were hospitalized and four died after drinking a poisonous hand sanitizer over a two-month period in two states, according to a new report.
On Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report on known methanol poisoning cases in Arizona and New Mexico between May 1 and June 30, 2020. Cases were related to the ingestion of alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
Four other people died from ingesting externally used products in their hands and three were released with lasting visual impairment, the CDC said.
“Alcohol-based hand sanitizers deserve to be ingested. In patients with constant symptoms and symptoms or after ingesting a hand sanitizer, an immediate evaluation of methanol poisoning is needed,” fitness officials said. “Health facilities in all states deserve to coordinate with poison centers to identify cases of methanol poisoning.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently reported several methanol-containing hand sanitizers, which can cause headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, kidney failure, coma and death. A list of more than 75 brands known to involve methanol.
“Alcohol-based hand sanitizers only involve ethanol or isopropanol, however, some products imported into the United States have been found to involve methanol,” the CDC said.
RELATED: Here is the full list of 76 hand sanitizers containing poisonous methanol
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According to the CDC, methanol can be absorbed in the frame by inhalation, ingestion, skin or eye contact. The FDA urges those who have been exposed to a hand sanitizer containing methanol to seek immediate treatment.
They also called for consumers to avoid poisonous products without delay and dispose of them in containers suitable for hazardous waste. Consumers deserve not to rinse or pour products into sewers.
In June, New Mexico fitness officials announced that 3 others in the state had died after drinking a hand sanitizer containing methanol. Three others who drank the poisonous substance were in critical condition and some others were permanently blind, the ministry of fitness said at the time.
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The cases were similar to alcoholism, as the hand sanitizer has a higher alcohol content. Brandon Warrick, an assistant professor at the University of New Mexico and qualified in emergency medicine, medical toxicology and addictions, told the New York Times that this was the largest number of methanol poisoning cases he had ever seen.
During the new coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), fitness experts added THE CDC, washing their hands with soap and water as the most productive way to avoid infection. If soap and water is not available, the CDC uses a hand sanitizer made up of at least 60% alcohol.
If done correctly, experts estimate that hand disinfection can increase the rate of respiratory disease infection from 16 to 21 percent.
If you or know you are addicted, call the SAMHSA Addiction Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.