If the hand sanitizer you are slathering all over your body to protect against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) comes from Mexico, then there is a good chance it contains a toxic chemical additive that could lead to your death.
This is according to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which issued an advisory the other day warning against the use of nine different hand sanitizer products manufactured by Eskbiochem SA de CV in Mexico that contain this specific additive.
Each of these nine products, which are listed below, contain what is known as methanol, or wood alcohol, an ingredient that is known to be highly toxic when ingested or absorbed through the skin:
• All-Clean Hand Sanitizer (NDC: 74589-002-01)
• Esk Biochem Hand Sanitizer (NDC: 74589-007-01)
• CleanCare NoGerm Advanced Hand Sanitizer 75% Alcohol (NDC: 74589-008-04)
• Lavar 70 Gel Hand Sanitizer (NDC: 74589-006-01)
• The Good Gel Antibacterial Gel Hand Sanitizer (NDC: 74589-010-10)
• CleanCare NoGerm Advanced Hand Sanitizer 80% Alcohol (NDC: 74589-005-03)
• CleanCare NoGerm Advanced Hand Sanitizer 75% Alcohol (NDC: 74589-009-01)
• CleanCare NoGerm Advanced Hand Sanitizer 80% Alcohol (NDC: 74589-003-01)
• Saniderm Advanced Hand Sanitizer (NDC: 74589-001-01)
The FDA says that substantial exposure to methanol "can result in nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, permanent blindness, seizures, coma, permanent damage to the nervous system or death," so buyer beware.
Commercial hand sanitizers don't protect against viral infections anyway
This is really bad news for the potentially millions of Americans who rushed out to grocery and drug stores to buy whatever hand sanitizer products they could find amid nationwide shortages.
The thought was probably that anything is better than nothing, even though the truth of the matter is that nothing is better than pretty much any commercial hand sanitizer.
Even if a hand sanitizer product does not contain methanol, it still more than likely contains a slew of other toxic chemicals that can leach into the body after being applied to the skin. The other bad news is that hand sanitizers do not even work, according to peer-reviewed research.
As a reminder from nearly a decade ago, scientists from the University of Virginia found that commercial hand sanitizers do not even protect against the transmission of viruses, including influenza and, yes, even the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).
Even hand sanitizers that claim to possess "enhanced antiviral activity" so long as they are applied every three hours were found to provide no benefits. Compared to volunteers who used no hand sanitizer at all, all study participants experienced similar infection rates.
Dr. Ronald B. Turner, the study's lead author, told the media that he and his colleagues were shocked because "we all thought if you used hand disinfectants, it would have an impact." It turns out that this is not the case.
Were the FDA an honest government agency, it would be warning the general public against using hand sanitizers, period. Not only do they not work, but they also contain other toxic additives besides methanol that the FDA is not even mentioning.
These additives include the antimicrobial additive triclosan, which contributes to antibiotic resistance and is also associated with hormone disruption. There are also parabens, artificial fragrances, and synthetic dyes, all of which can promote cancer and other chronic illnesses.
If you are really concerned about getting sick and feel the need to use some kind of cleansing agent as opposed to simply bolstering your immune system, it is possible to make your own non-toxic hand sanitizer at home. Helpful and effective recipes are available online.
For more related news about the dangers of hand sanitizer and other "cleansing" products, be sure to check out Chemicals.news.
You can also keep up with the latest news about the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) by checking out Pandemic.news.
Sources for this article include:
Please contact us for more information.