Connect with us

Health

FDA Issues Dire Recall Warning

Popular products sold across the United States may contain a highly poisonous substance that “can be deadly to a child.”

Published

on

This article originally appeared on The Epoch Times and was republished with permission.

Guest post by Jack Phillips

A company is recalling hand sanitizer and aloe gel across the United States because it contains a highly poisonous substance that can pose a serious risk for consumers, according to a notice published on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) website.

The recall affects 40 lots of Aruba Aloe Hand Sanitizer Gel Alcohol 80 percent and Aruba Aloe Alcoholada Gel because they contain substantial amounts of methanol, the FDA-backed notice said.

It offered a risk statement saying that “substantial methanol exposure” can lead to a range of serious health issues such as death, coma, seizures, permanent blindness, permanent nervous system damage, blurred vision, vomiting, nausea, and other symptoms.

“All persons using these products on their hands are at risk,” said the notice, but it especially issued caution for “young children who accidently ingest these products and adolescents, and adults who drink these products as an alcohol (ethanol) substitute are most at risk for methanol poisoning.”

The company said it has has not received any reports of adverse events in connection to the products.

The firm did not say in the notice how its products were contaminated with methanol or how the error was found. Methanol, known as wood alcohol, is described by federal officials as “extremely poisonous” and that as little as two tablespoons “can be deadly to a child,” according to the MedcinePlus website.

“Blindness is common and often permanent despite medical care. Intake of methanol affects multiple organs,” the site says. “Organ damage may be permanent. How well the person does depends on how much poison is swallowed and how soon treatment is received.”

According to the notice, Aruba Aloe Hand Sanitizer Gel is used as a hand sanitizer and is packaged in a 12-ounce dark green bottle with a white label that reads, in part, “ARUBA ALOE Hand Sanitizer GEL 80% Alcohol Made in Aruba World’s Finest Aloe.”  The other product being recalled, Aruba Aloe Alcoholada Gel, is used for temporary relief of pain and itching. It’s packaged in a 2.2-ounce plastic bottle that are transparent with a label that reads, in part, “Alcoholada Gel Pain Relieving Gel 0.5% Lidocaine Hydrochloride.”

Lot numbers, bar codes, and other information for the two products can be found inside the recall notice. The products were distributed across the United States between May 1, 2021, and Oct. 27, 2023. They were sold online via the company’s website.

Read the full story in The Epoch Times.

Trending Now