Story at a glance
- In one instance reported to the FDA, a person bought a bottle they thought to be drinking water but was actually hand sanitizer, while retailers reported a hand sanitizer product that was marketed with children’s cartoons and came in a pouch resembling a snack.
- The FDA said people who ingest hand sanitizer could be at risk for serious injury or possibly death. Just a small amount can be potentially fatal to a child.
- The FDA is also continuing to warn consumers about the dangers of hand sanitizers that contain methanol.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers to watch out for alcohol-based hand sanitizers packaged to look like food or drink containers.
Some hand sanitizer manufacturers are packaging their products in water bottles, juice bottles, baby food pouches and vodka bottles, the FDA said in a news release Thursday. Some hand sanitizers also have food flavors, such as chocolate or raspberry.
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In one instance reported to the FDA, a person bought a bottle they thought to be drinking water but was actually hand sanitizer, while retailers reported a hand sanitizer product that was marketed with children’s cartoons and came in a pouch resembling a snack.
This was a strange adventure for me today. If you don’t want me to drink your hand sanitizer, please don’t put it in a beer can with a picture of a guy holding beer on it. pic.twitter.com/nA5qrjOKOY
— Ian Fortey: Poutine Wrangler (@IanFortey) June 2, 2020
The FDA said people who ingest hand sanitizer could be at risk for serious injury or possibly death. Just a small amount can be potentially fatal to a child.
“I am increasingly concerned about hand sanitizer being packaged to appear to be consumable products, such as baby food or beverages. These products could confuse consumers into accidentally ingesting a potentially deadly product,” FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said in a statement.
“It’s dangerous to add scents with food flavors to hand sanitizers which children could think smells like food, eat and get alcohol poisoning,” Hahn said.
The FDA chief said manufacturers should be vigilant about the packaging and marketing of hand sanitizer products, so that any potential inadvertent misuse by consumers can be mitigated.
Hahn said the agency is monitoring the products and will take appropriate action where needed.
The FDA is also continuing to warn consumers about the dangers of hand sanitizers that contain methanol.
Substantial exposure to methanol can result in nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, permanent blindness, seizures, coma, permanent damage to the nervous system or death, the FDA warns.
The agency has a running list of potentially harmful hand sanitizers consumers should avoid.
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