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On June 16, 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned that over-the-counter (OTC) alcohol-based hand sanitizers, especially if used in enclosed spaces or poorly ventilated locations, can cause headaches, nausea and dizziness.[1] These symptoms likely are due to exposure to alcohol vapors from the hand sanitizers.
These OTC drug products, which contain ethyl or isopropyl alcohol and are available as gels, lotions and foams, are applied to the skin to quickly reduce potentially...
On June 16, 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned that over-the-counter (OTC) alcohol-based hand sanitizers, especially if used in enclosed spaces or poorly ventilated locations, can cause headaches, nausea and dizziness.[1] These symptoms likely are due to exposure to alcohol vapors from the hand sanitizers.
These OTC drug products, which contain ethyl or isopropyl alcohol and are available as gels, lotions and foams, are applied to the skin to quickly reduce potentially harmful bacteria or viruses on the hands. Note that such sanitizers are inferior substitutes for 20 seconds of handwashing with soap and water and therefore should be used only when such handwashing cannot be achieved.
The FDA issued its warning after reviewing case reports submitted directly to the agency or recorded in poison control center call records. The FDA’s search of its adverse-event reporting system for the period from 2010 to 2020 revealed 50 serious adverse events related to alcohol-based hand sanitizers, all of which were reported after March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic took off in the U.S. Commonly reported symptoms in these cases included headache, nausea and dizziness. The poison control center data revealed 299 cases of skin and inhalation/nasal exposures to hand sanitizers from 2018 to 2020, most after March 2020. Most of the reported cases involved adults and resulted in minor or minimal effects, though some required treatment by a health care professional.
The FDA advised that hand sanitizers should be used only in well-ventilated areas and should be stored in ways that prevent their accidental misuse or ingestion by children, who may be attracted to their natural or artificial fragrance or appearance.
References
[1] Food and Drug Administration. Drug safety communication: FDA warns that vapors from alcohol-based hand sanitizers can have side effects. June 16, 2021. https://www.fda.gov/media/146936/download. Accessed September 20, 2021.
