Methanol detection in commercial sanitizing gels, during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The ethanol (active) and methanol (toxic) substances content were quantified for commercial sanitizing gels. The health emergency caused by the COVID-19 epidemic has motivated to production of sanitizing gels to cover higher demand. The analytical composition of 24 commercial gels is reported (15 produced by national and transnational companies, and 9 collected gels which were in use at public areas). From the results it was found, that only one brand of 15 gels meets the quality requirements regarding 70% (wt./wt.) of ethanol content. Concerning to the collected gels, none of them contains the minimum active compound required. The non-compliance of this requirement means that these gels present its sanitizing action diminished. A striking result is that 25% of commercially packaged gels contain methanol - a toxic substance - in alarming amounts, hundreds of times more than the FDA upper limits requirement.\n\nReferences\n\nAlvarez-Bobadilla, G., Domínguez-Cherit, G., Acosta-Nava, V. M., Guizar-Rangel, M. T., Guido-Guerra, R. E., & Garduño-López, A. L. (2020). Manejo perioperatorio del paciente con COVID-19. Revista Mexicana de Anestesiología, 43(2), 109-120.\n\nChávez, N. P. S., Reyes Gómez, U., Hernández, U. R., Hernández, D. R., Ponce, B. R., Valencia, H. S., ... & Palacios, E. S. (2010). Evaluación de la higiene de manos, su impacto después de un programa de mejora continua en el Hospital Regional del ISSSTE en Oaxaca. Revista de Enfermedades infecciosas en Pediatría, 23(92), 116-123.\n\nColdea, T. E., Socaciu, C., Fetea, F., POP, R. M., & FLOREA, M. (2013). Rapid quantitative analysis of ethanol and prediction of methanol content in traditional fruit brandies from Romania, using FTIR spectroscopy and chemometrics. Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca, 41(1), 143-149.Balderas-López, M., Zamora-Macorra, M., & Martínez-Alcántara, S. (2019). Musculoskeletic disorders in workers of tire manufacturing: analysis of the work process and. Acta Universitaria, 29.\n\nFisher. https://fscimage.fishersci.com/msds/14280.htm). Consulted Jun 2020.\n\nGuilhermetti, M., Wiirzler, L. M., Facio, B. C., da Silva Furlan, M., Meschial, W. C., Tognim, M. B., ... & Cardoso, C. L. (2010). Antimicrobial efficacy of alcohol-based hand gels. Journal of Hospital Infection, 74(3), 219-224.\n\nMa, Q. X., Shan, H., Zhang, H. L., Li, G. M., Yang, R. M., & Chen, J. M. (2020). Potential utilities of mask‐wearing and instant hand hygiene for fighting SARS‐CoV‐2. Journal of medical virology.\n\nPandejpong, D., Danchaivijitr, S., Vanprapa, N., Pandejpong, T., & Cook, E. F. (2012). Appropriate time-interval application of alcohol hand gel on reducing influenza-like illness among preschool children: a randomized, controlled trial. American journal of infection control, 40(6), 507-511.\n\nPaulson, D. S., Fendler, E. J., Dolan, M. J., & Williams, R. A. (1999). A close look at alcohol gel as an antimicrobial sanitizing agent. American journal of infection control, 27(4), 332-338.\n\nUNAM.http://vinculacion.dgire.unam.mx/vinculacion-1/Congreso-Trabajos pagina/PDF/Congreso Estudiantil-2014/Proyectos-2014-Area/Ciencias Biologicas/ciencias%20de%20la%20salud/3.30%20CIN2014A10268.pdf.\xa0 Consulted Jun 2020.