Two varieties of hand sanitizers — both with Disney-themed packaging — have been recalled because they may be contaminated with harmful chemicals, according to an alert from the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA is now working with the manufacturer, Best Brand Consumer Products, to coordinate the voluntary recall.
After testing, the FDA detected the presence of benzene (a known human carcinogen) in Best Brand's The Mandalorian Hand Sanitizer, which features Baby Yoda on the packaging and comes in green and blue formulations. Benzene is regularly present in tobacco smoke and car exhaust, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains, and we're most frequently exposed to it in the air. After long-term exposure, benzene can cause changes to red blood cells and can increase the risk for leukemia, the CDC says.
The FDA's testing also found methanol, a type of wood alcohol, which can cause serious symptoms in high doses, in the company's Mickey Mouse Hand Sanitizer product. If exposed to methanol in large amounts, the substance can cause vomiting, nausea, headache and blurred vision. At the more severe end, methanol exposure can also lead to seizures, coma, permanent blindness and even death, the FDA alert says. Methanol is especially a worry for kids who may be tempted to ingest food-scented hand sanitizer products, the agency warned previously.
The FDA notified Best Brand Consumer Products of the results of its testing in Feb. 2022, which prompted the company to begin its own investigation. The company found that the affected products were manufactured in April and May of 2020 and, as of April 2021, were no longer being sold in retail stores. But the company is now conducting this voluntary recall of the products, which consumers may still have at home.
Anyone who purchased the recalled hand sanitizers should stop using them immediately, the company said, and should get in touch with their health care provider if they're concerned about any potential health effects. So far, the company said it hasn’t received any reports of ill health effects from consumers about the recalled products.
Consumers can also ask questions about the recall and request a refund by contacting Best Brand Consumer Products at Quality@BestBrandsintl.com.
The Best Brand Consumer Products hand sanitizers are just a few of the many sanitizer products the FDA has warned about recently. Some of them, like these, may contain chemicals they shouldn't, while others can have bacterial contamination or don't have enough of the key ingredients to actually be useful against pathogens like COVID-19. Check to see if your hand sanitizer is affected by any of the FDA's warnings here.
