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Abstract
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Fifteen people were hospitalized in Arizona and New Mexico after they drank hand sanitizer containing methanol. Four of the patients died and 3 experienced vision loss, according to a report from CDC investigators and state public health officials.
On June 30, public health authorities in both states alerted the CDC to methanol poisoning in adults who ingested hand sanitizer. The alert came 12 days after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned that hand sanitizers from Mexico containing methanol were being sold in the US.
The CDC recommends using hand sanitizers containing at least 60% ethanol or isopropanol alcohol to help reduce novel coronavirus transmission when washing hands with soap and water isn't possible. However, drinking these products can cause life-threatening alcohol poisoning. To discourage people from ingesting them, the FDA requires that they be made unpalatable. But poisonings still occur.
Before the novel coronavirus pandemic, poisoning had been documented in people with alcohol use disorders who intentionally consumed hand sanitizers. Since March, US poison control centers also have reported increased calls about children who accidentally ingested hand sanitizers.
Methanol and ethanol poisoning cause similar symptoms including headache, blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Methanol poisoning also may cause severe anion-gap metabolic acidosis, seizures, and permanent blindness...
Language: en |