(WHDH) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning the public to beware of hand sanitizers that are packaged in food and drink containers because they could put people at risk of serious injury or death.
Some hand sanitizers are being packaged in beer cans, children’s food pouches, water bottles, juice bottles, vodka bottles, and others have been found to contain food flavors, such as chocolate or raspberry, the agency said in a news release.
“I am increasingly concerned about hand sanitizer being packaged to appear to be consumable products, such as baby food or beverages. These products could confuse consumers into accidentally ingesting a potentially deadly product. It’s dangerous to add scents with food flavors to hand sanitizers which children could think smells like food, eat and get alcohol poisoning,” said FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn, M.D.
The FDA said it received a recent report about a consumer who bought a bottle that they thought was drinking water but it was in fact hand sanitizer. The agency also received a report from a retailer about a hand sanitizer product marketed with cartoons for children that was in a pouch that resembles a snack.
Drinking only a small amount of hand sanitizer is potentially lethal to a young child.
“Manufacturers should be vigilant about packaging and marketing their hand sanitizers in food or drink packages in an effort to mitigate any potential inadvertent use by consumers. The FDA continues to monitor these products and we’ll take appropriate actions as needed to protect the health of Americans,” Hahn added.
The FDA says it has continued to see an increasing number of adverse events with hand sanitizer ingestion, including cardiac effects, effects on the central nervous system, and hospitalizations and death.
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