British Columbians warned over hand sanitizers that may contain methanol

The BC Centre for Disease Control is urging residents to check their hand sanitizers.

According to a release from the BC CDC, hand sanitizer products made by Eskbiochem SA de CV in Mexico could contain methanol. These products are sold under various brand names throughout North America.

For those who don't know, methanol is toxic if ingested and can be irritating if used on the skin.

This warning comes following an advisory put out by the US Food and Drug Administration last week. Since that warning went out, the BC Drug and Poison Information Centre has received four calls from British Columbians who reported having products from the US recall list. To this point, there have been no reports in BC of injury or toxicity from exposure to these products.

Potentially harmful products include "All-Clean Hand Sanitizer," "Esk Biochem Hand Sanitizer," "CleanCare NoGerm Advanced Hand Sanitizer 75% Alcohol," Lavar 70 Gel Hand Sanitizer," "The Good Gel Antibacterial Hand Sanitizer," "CleanCare NoGerm Advanced Hand Sanitizer 80% Alcohol," and "Saniderm Advanced Hand Sanitizer."

"If you have hand sanitizers manufactured by this company, the BC Centre for Disease Control recommends disposing of the products. It is best if the liquid or gel is poured out of the container before disposing to prevent any accidental exposures for animals or people who might come across the product in the trash."

"Methanol ingestion can cause nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, permanent blindness, seizures, coma, and is potentially life-threatening. Anyone who has ingested methanol should seek immediate medical attention. People most at risk of ingesting hand sanitizer include children, people with dementia, and people using it as a substitute for alcohol."

For more on the alert, click here.