Health regulators in the United States have recalled multiple lots of hand sanitizers and aloe gels due to the potential of methanol exposure. The FDA has notified that 40 batches of Aruba Aloe Hand Sanitizer Gel Alcohol 80% and Aruba Aloe Alcoholada Gel were recalled because they included “alcohol denatured with methanol.” The FDA stated in a notification that methanol can be exceedingly harmful.
The Food and Drug Administration warned that “substantial methanol exposure” could result in “nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, coma, seizures, permanent blindness, permanent damage to the central nervous system, or death.”
The FDA also stated that, while there have been no reports of “adverse events” associated with the recalled products, children who may mistakenly swallow them are at high risk.
The recalled goods are labeled ARUBA ALOE Hand Sanitizer GEL 80% Alcohol and Alcoholada Gel Pain Relieving Gel
The recalled goods are labeled “ARUBA ALOE Hand Sanitizer GEL 80% Alcohol Made in Aruba World’s Finest Aloe” and “Alcoholada Gel Pain Relieving Gel 0.5% Lidocaine Hydrochloride.”
“Although all persons using these products on their hands are at risk, young children who accidentally ingest these products and adolescents and adults who drink these products as an alcohol (ethanol) substitute are most at risk for methanol poisoning,” the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned in a notice for immediate release.
The FDA further stated that the concerned items were “distributed between 5/1/2021 and 10/27/2023 and sold in the US online only via the Aruba Aloe Balm N.V. website. ”It further said that the company “has notified all customers that bought these products by email and has offered a discount coupon for a next purchase.”
The FDA recommended that current users of the recalled goods stop using them and “discard the product.” “Consumers should contact their physician or healthcare provider if they have experienced any problems that may be related to taking or using this drug product,” the FDA said.