Use Soap and Water: I hope washing your hands isn't such a controversial topic that this will be moved. The FDA has said that at least 77 brands of hand sanitizer are toxic. With the...

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I hope washing your hands isn't such a controversial topic that this will be moved.

The FDA has said that at least 77 brands of hand sanitizer are toxic. With the demand so high, companies are selling whatever they can put together. There is no such thing as "FDA Approved" hand sanitizer, so beware. Google will find you more info on this topic. Soap and water still seem to be safe - mostly.

Harry0 Loc: Gardena, Cal

Various health groups in Lalaland are deciding that "denatured" alcohol is incrementally unhealthy.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

jerryc41 wrote:

I hope washing your hands isn't such a controversial topic that this will be moved.

The FDA has said that at least 77 brands of hand sanitizer are toxic. With the demand so high, companies are selling whatever they can put together. There is no such thing as "FDA Approved" hand sanitizer, so beware. Google will find you more info on this topic. Soap and water still seem to be safe - mostly.

Ditto.

But it seems everything is politicized today.

ELNikkor

just another money-maker for some, I never used it; never will

David Martin Loc: Cary, NC

Harry0 wrote:

Various health groups in Lalaland are deciding that "denatured" alcohol is incrementally unhealthy.

The FDA is not warning about "denatured alcohol."
They are warning about methanol, i.e. methyl alcohol, often known as "wood alcohol."
Methanol is toxic and can be absorbed through the skin. It may cause blindness, seizures or death when ingested.

The hand sanitizers in question, largely from Mexico, have been found to contain methanol (not denatured alcohol) despite having ethanol listed on the label. These product are potentially toxic, especially to children.

Denatured alcohol is ethanol to which additional chemicals have been added to discourage people from drinking it. The chemicals typically cause a foul odor, foul taste or nausea. However the added chemical could be methanol, in which case it certainly could be "incrementally unhealthy". Note that this is not a new "decision."

Jerry is right to advocate for washing with soap and water. Soap and water kill far more "germs" compared to hand sanitizers, which should always be a second choice for use when soap and water are not available.

foathog Loc: Greensboro, NC

Harry0 wrote:

Various health groups in Lalaland are deciding that "denatured" alcohol is incrementally unhealthy.

How about methanol? People have died using this garbage. wouldn't doubt it a bit that it all came from our wonderful ally China

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

foathog wrote:

How about methanol? People have died using this garbage. wouldn't doubt it a bit that it all came from our wonderful ally China

Methanol is the ingredient in question; most of it comes from Mexico. Many American companies have transitioned from making booze to making hand sanitizer, and those products are fine as far as I know.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

Methanol is a normal product of fermentation - a small amount is produced during the fermentation of grains, sugar, etc. to make liquor - it distills off before ethanol, so the first alcohol to distill off is discarded - this is sometimes called "the devil's cut". But the following ethanol, if 70% in concentration, can be used as a hand sanitizer. So many distillers have found a hot market in their alcohol - but distillers who are either cheap or greedy and unethical or ignorant have included the methanol in their product. On the other hand, some distillers in the US have gotten into trouble with the FDA for failing to add a denaturing agent (usually isopropyl alcohol) to their otherwise drinkable hand sanitizer - if not denatured, you have to register the product and pay a liquor tax on it (or you can register as a scientific or industrial user of ethyl alcohol and not pay the tax).

nospambob Loc: Edmond, Oklahoma

Great info, thanks for posting

1Feathercrest Loc: NEPA

David Martin wrote:

The FDA is not warning about "denatured alcoh... (show quote)

I always felt that washing most of the germs from hands is much preferable to leaving some dead, some live germs and sticky residue on the hands

fetzler Loc: North West PA

jerryc41 wrote:

I hope washing your hands isn't such a controversial topic that this will be moved.

The FDA has said that at least 77 brands of hand sanitizer are toxic. With the demand so high, companies are selling whatever they can put together. There is no such thing as "FDA Approved" hand sanitizer, so beware. Google will find you more info on this topic. Soap and water still seem to be safe - mostly.

There is indeed FDA approved hand sanitizer. The approval process for such products is not a rigorous as for drugs but there is a process. The "bad" products contain methanol which is toxic when consumed or absorbed through the skin. While I have handled methanol occasionally without issue, it appears that there are cases of trans dermal methanol poisoning. The methanol containing products are not legal for sale in the US.

In the past, as I recall, there have been cases of toxic toothpaste and mouthwash. Such products often come from China.

Here is a link to the FDA page on hand sanitizers.

https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-updates-hand-sanitizers-methanol

fetzler Loc: North West PA

sb wrote:

Methanol is a normal product of fermentation - a s... (show quote)

Denatured alcohol is ethanol that has been adulterated with Pyridine, methanol, and sometimes denatonium.

The latter compound gives a bitter taste. The former two compounds make the liquid toxic.

John_F Loc: Minneapolis, MN

All of them contain methyl alcohol as primary ingredient. From my understanding, methanol would not be effective. I would prefer isopropyl alcohol at at least 70%. The virus sits inside a fatty shell. All an antiseptic needs to do is dissolve that shell. The alcohols are not the only effective solvents. Somewhere I have a formula for home-made antiseptic.

KenwardV

People should make their own, really. The big issue is getting hold of 91% rubbing alcohol--harder to do these days. Walmart is where I used to see this commonly.

After that, simply add four parts of this to one part of glycerin or something like aloe vera (as I understand this works well) and mix well. This will not be thick, but will leave behind something to help keep the skin from drying out. It's basically the WHO recipe.

Final concentration would be 72-73% alcohol (72.8% theoretically).

If you happen to get hold of "pure" isopropyl alcohol (97-99%), add an additional half-part water to the above. Same result.

sumo Loc: Houston suburb

so let me get this straight ..there is no cure for a virus that can be KILLED by sanitizer and hand soap?