Coronavirus: four dead, three blind after ingesting hand sanitiser in US
- According to a new CDC report, 15 people were hospitalised for methanol poisoning from May 1 to June 30 in Arizona and New Mexico
- Four patients died and six developed seizures during their time in hospital
Four out of 15 adults admitted to hospital in the United States in recent months for ingesting an alcohol-based hand sanitiser died and three were left visually impaired, according to a new report from the nation’s health protection agency.
The paper, published by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week, focused on cases of serious adverse health events or death “associated with swallowing alcohol-based hand sanitisers” containing methanol in two southwestern states between May and June.
“Alcohol-based hand sanitiser products should never be ingested,” the CDC states.
The report says alcohol-based hand sanitisers should only contain ethanol or isopropanol. Those containing methanol – some of which are imported into the US – can cause “life-threatening methanol poisoning” resulting in permanent disability or death.
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“Young children might unintentionally swallow these products, whereas adolescents or adults with history of alcohol use disorder might intentionally swallow these products as an alcohol (ethanol) substitute,” the CDC states.