These Food and Drink Impostors
While we all appreciate hand sanitizers that come in beautiful packaging, some companies that make the germ-killing substance have been accused of using extremely misleading packaging. The marketing is misleading consumers and is becoming fatal.
Recently, the FDA issued a warning regarding alcohol-based hand soap. It is currently being packaged anywhere from plastic water bottles to packaging used for making squeezable apple sauces.
Hand sanitizer packaging that appears to be food-grade products like baby food and beverages is a concern. These products may confuse consumers and cause them to inhale potentially fatal products accidentally. FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn M.D. stated that adding food scents to hand sanitizers is dangerous. Children could mistakenly ingest these products for food, in a statement.
Some brands put hand sanitizers in juice and vodka bottles for novelty reasons. However, this can lead to confusion for the consumer. Recently, the FDA received a report from a customer who purchased what appeared to have been a regular bottle of water in the store. However, it was hand sanitizer disguised under water. A concern is also that hand sanitizers come in child-friendly packaging. Some even have cartoons, which could trick children into believing they are food.
Even a small amount could prove fatal to young children attracted to brightly colored packaging. The FDA advises against buying hand sanitiser products with specific ingredients, such as 1-propanol or methanol. These ingredients could prove to be particularly deadly. The FDA has observed an increase in adverse reactions to hand sanitizers, including heart and central nervous system effects, as well as deaths and hospitalizations reported to poison control centers or state departments of public health.
This packaging is for hand soap. Make sure you read it carefully before opening the bottle of mineral water. These 14 hand sanitizers could be toxic, warns the FDA.
