FDA issues warning regarding hand sanitisers

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning to consumers regarding alcohol-based hand sanitisers.

The organisation is warning people to be cautious about the containers of sanitisers, as some may appear as food or drinks, and as a result may put consumers at risk of serious injury or death if ingested.

The FDA reports that the agency has discovered some hand sanitisers are being packaged in beer cans, children’s food pouches, water bottles, juice bottles and vodka bottles. Additionally, some hand sanitisers contain food flavours, such as chocolate or raspberry.

Stephen M. Hahn, FDA commissioner, commented: “I am increasingly concerned about hand sanitiser 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. It’s dangerous to add scents with food flavours to hand sanitisers which children could think smells like food, eat and get alcohol poisoning.

“Manufacturers should be vigilant about packaging and marketing their hand sanitisers in food or drink packages in an effort to mitigate any potential inadvertent use by consumers.

“The FDA continues to monitor these products and we’ll take appropriate actions as needed to protect the health of Americans.”

Healthcare professionals, consumers, and patients are encouraged by the FDA to report adverse events or quality problems experienced with the use of hand sanitisers to the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting programme. Additionally, a list of hand sanitiser products the FDA urges consumers not to use, along with a description for consumers on how to use the list, has been posted to the agency’s website, which is being updated regularly.