FDA places alcohol-based hand sanitisers imported from Mexico on ‘import alert’ over safety concerns

Agency says hand sanitising products have been found to contain toxic chemical methanol

FDA puts alcohol-based hand sanitisers imported from Mexico on ‘import alert' (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

All alcohol-based hand sanitisers imported into the United States from Mexico have been placed on an “import alert” following safety concerns, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced.  

According to the FDA, since the beginning of the pandemic, it has seen an increase in alcohol-based hand sanitiser products imported from Mexico that were meant to contain ethanol but actually contained methanol or wood alcohol.  

Methanol can be toxic when absorbed through the skin and can be life-threatening if it is ingested, with the FDA stating that the chemical is not an “acceptable ingredient in hand sanitiser or other drugs”.

To ensure that alcohol-based hand sanitisers coming from Mexico are not contaminated with methanol, the FDA said the products will be subjected to heightened scrutiny, with the agency noting that some shipments may be detained.

The measure comes after the FDA found that 84 per cent of hand sanitisers imported from Mexico between April to December 2020 were not in compliance with FDA regulations, with more than half of the products found to contain “dangerous” levels of toxic ingredients such as methanol or 1-propanol.

According to the agency, this is the first time that it has “issued a countrywide import alert for any category of drug product”.

"Consumer use of hand sanitisers has increased significantly during the coronavirus pandemic, especially when soap and water are not accessible, and the availability of poor-quality products with dangerous and unacceptable ingredients will not be tolerated," said Judy McMeekin, FDA Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs. “Today’s actions are necessary to protect the safe supply of alcohol-based hand sanitisers.  

“We will continue to work with our stakeholders to ensure the availability of safe products and to communicate vital information with the health and safety of US consumers in mind.”  

In addition to closely monitoring alcohol-based hand sanitisers, the FDA said it would continue to “proactively work with Mexican government authorities, manufacturers and retailers to ensure potentially dangerous or violative products are not distributed to consumers”.

The warning comes after the FDA released a list of hand sanitiser products to avoid after they were found to be in violation of safety regulations.  

The list, which is continuously updated, can be found here.