CDC: Arizonans Among Dead From Ingesting Hand Sanitizer

ARIZONA — Fifteen people were found to have methanol poisoning after ingesting hand sanitizer in two states, including Arizona, the Centers for Disease Control said Thursday. Of those 15 cases, four patients died and others were discharged from the hospital with permanent side effects.

The CDC reported 15 cases of methanol poisoning in Arizona and New Mexico between May 1 and June 30. In addition to the four who have died, three now are now visually impaired. All cases were related to ingesting alcohol-based sanitizers infused with methanol, many of which the Food and Drug Administration has recalled.

The report comes after President Donald Trump suggested in April that scientists should consider whether injecting people with disinfectant would kill the coronavirus. Trump later said that he was being sarcastic.

"Alcohol-based hand sanitizer products should never be ingested," the CDC wrote in its report, noting that many adults view it as an alcohol substitute. The CDC recommends its use to clean hands if soap and water are not immediately available.

See Also: FDA Recalls 75 Hand Sanitizers Containing Methanol: The Full List

The CDC worked with the Arizona Department of Health Services and Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center System to review records and data. The latter group told Patch that 11 cases were positively identified in Arizona after having patients’ methanol levels drawn, though not all hospitals drew those levels. Of those 11 patients, five died and one is now permanently blind, said Dr. Steven Dudley, director of the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center.

Dudley said methanol can be toxic when absorbed into the skin and ingesting it is even more dangerous.

“Because it takes a little bit of time to break methanol down, toxicity may not present until a day or so after the initial exposure,” he said. “The highest risk is when the sanitizer is ingested but as we know, methanol is easily absorbed in the skin and frequent dermal use can lead to toxicity as well.”

The median age of the patients identified in the report was 42, with the youngest reported to be 21 years-old. Thirteen of the cases involved male patients. Several experienced seizures as a result of the methanol poisoning.

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams tweeted about the report Thursday and urged Americans to discontinue the use of hand sanitizers recalled by the FDA.

“Swallowing hand sanitizers that contain methanol can cause permanent blindness or death, if not treated,” he tweeted. “People should immediately discontinue use of hand sanitizers recalled by the FDA.”