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yortsed snacilbuper

(7,939 posts)
Wed Aug 5, 2020, 07:08 PM Aug 2020

CDC Warns Against Drinking Hand Sanitizer Amid Reports of Deaths

The incidents happened after President Donald Trump mused on ingesting disinfectants to treat the novel coronavirus.

The agency detailed 15 cases of methanol poisoning in its weekly report, including four patients who remain hospitalized and three who were released with permanent visual impairment. Just four of the 15 fully recovered, the agency said Wednesday.

“This investigation highlights the serious adverse health events, including death, that can occur after ingesting alcohol-based hand sanitizer products containing methanol,”

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14 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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CDC Warns Against Drinking Hand Sanitizer Amid Reports of Deaths (Original Post) yortsed snacilbuper Aug 2020 OP
Jeebus underpants Aug 2020 #1
WTF? jayfish Aug 2020 #2
Oh damn! Crunchy Frog Aug 2020 #3
Alcoholics have been doing this for some time, but now with the pandemic Maru Kitteh Aug 2020 #4
Be Tough To Make That Work ProfessorGAC Aug 2020 #10
In a lockdown psych I worked at, we couldn't have sanitizer in common areas Maru Kitteh Aug 2020 #11
I Work RobinA Aug 2020 #13
Here ya go Maru Kitteh Aug 2020 #12
I Never Said Otherwise ProfessorGAC Aug 2020 #14
good god! #Trump really has to keep his mouth SHUT riversedge Aug 2020 #5
This message was self-deleted by its author ProfessorGAC Aug 2020 #6
Some companies aren't helping matters Cirque du So-What Aug 2020 #7
This Happened 2 Months Ago ProfessorGAC Aug 2020 #8
CDC: Don't run out in the middle of traffic. Yavin4 Aug 2020 #9

Maru Kitteh

(28,342 posts)
4. Alcoholics have been doing this for some time, but now with the pandemic
Wed Aug 5, 2020, 07:21 PM
Aug 2020

hand sanitizer is in short supply and sometimes obtained from very sketchy sources, some of them poisonous.


ProfessorGAC

(65,111 posts)
10. Be Tough To Make That Work
Wed Aug 5, 2020, 07:48 PM
Aug 2020

The bulk of those products are made from SDA 40B ethanol.
That denaturation is done by adding t-butyl alcohol which is a strong emetic.
Since the sanitizer is 140 proof, the amount of TBA is highly significant to our digestive system.
For the vast majority of people, the equivalent of one shot would cause repeat vomiting.
It also contains denatonium saccharide, which the bitterest compound known. Makes chewing a hundred aspirin taste like fine chocolate. You can taste the bitter at 3 or 4 parts per billion. There's 100 parts per MILLION in the denatured alcohol. 27,000 times or so, the taste threshold. Just awful.
Out of curiosity, I put 1 crystal (maybe 20 milligrams) in 500 ml of 10% pure ethanol in water.
Put 2 drops on my tongue. Unbelievably bad tasting. Just awful!
If people are drinking that, they REALLY desperate. Especially since they're just going to puke it up!

Maru Kitteh

(28,342 posts)
11. In a lockdown psych I worked at, we couldn't have sanitizer in common areas
Wed Aug 5, 2020, 09:31 PM
Aug 2020

for this reason. Desperate people are desperate.

Maru Kitteh

(28,342 posts)
12. Here ya go
Wed Aug 5, 2020, 09:35 PM
Aug 2020

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1235906
"The CDC report included 15 cases of methanol poisoning in New Mexico and Arizona that occurred in May and June. The average age was 43, and 13 of the cases were in men. Several of the cases were among American Indians/Alaska Natives, though the report does not detail the exact number. All 15 individuals were hospitalized, and four people died. Another three developed vision problems, a known side effect of methanol poisoning.

All of the cases detailed in the report had had blood tests to confirm the presence of methanol. Additionally, all of the individuals reported past hand sanitizer ingestion."

ProfessorGAC

(65,111 posts)
14. I Never Said Otherwise
Thu Aug 6, 2020, 06:39 AM
Aug 2020

I was talking about the products legal in the US, that contain ethanol.
Those products containing methanol never should have been sold in the US.
Both the FDA claim approved formulary & the EPA registrations only allow for the use of ethanol (natural or specially denatured) or isopropanol.
My other post was about the effects of the denaturant and why it's so difficult to consume them.
I never disputed the methanol consumption event, because I read that a couple months ago.
Amazon & Walgreen's (among others) pulled those products made at a site in Mexico from their stock. It was because of the danger, and the fact that it's not legal to sell them!

Response to riversedge (Reply #5)

ProfessorGAC

(65,111 posts)
8. This Happened 2 Months Ago
Wed Aug 5, 2020, 07:39 PM
Aug 2020

All on-line sellers of that Mexican company's products were pulled due to methanol content.
Methanol is not allowed per the FDA formulary or EPA registrations.
American manufacturers use denatured ethanol or isopropanol
These never should have been offered for sale in the u.s.

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