Best Brand Consumers Products, Inc. issued a voluntary recall of Mickey Mouse and "Mandalorian"-themed hand sanitizer, the company announced Friday.
Testing by the US Food and Drug Administration found the presence of methanol in the Mickey Mouse product and benzene in the "Mandalorian" product.
Methanol is a toxic alcohol that is used industrially as a solvent, pesticide and alternative fuel source. Substantial exposure to methanol can result in nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, coma, seizures, permanent blindness, permanent damage to the central nervous system or death, according to the FDA.
Although everyone using the methanol-containing Mickey Mouse hand sanitizer on their hands is at risk, the FDA says that young children who may accidentally ingest these products would be at most risk for methanol poisoning.
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Benzene is classified as a human carcinogen. Substantial exposure to benzene through inhalation, oral or skin may result in cancers including leukemia and blood cancer of the bone marrow and blood disorders, which can be life-threatening, according to the FDA.
Upon being notified of the testing results by FDA in late February 2022, Best Brands investigated and determined that both of the affected lots of hand sanitizer were produced during the months of April and May 2020.
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The two lots being recalled are the "Mandalorian" hand sanitizer with an expiration date of Sep. 30, 2022, and the Mickey Mouse hand sanitizer with an expiration date of June 30, 2022. Customers that have either of these products should stop using them immediately and appropriately discard them.
The company confirmed that the affected lots had already been removed from sale in April 2021 for unrelated commercial reasons.
To date, Best Brands has not received any reports of adverse events related to these voluntarily recalled lots, or for any other finished product lots of its ethyl alcohol 68% hand sanitizer products.
The "Mandalorian" hand sanitizer, available in green and blue formulations, and Mickey Mouse hand sanitizer were sold with the intention of reducing microorganisms that can potentially cause illness when regular hand hygiene measures (i.e., washing hands with soap and water) are not readily available or feasible.
Consumers may contact Best Brands with questions regarding this recall or request a refund by contacting Quality@BestBrandsintl.com.
Consumers should contact their physician or healthcare provider if they have experienced any problems that may be related to taking or using this drug product.
Adverse reactions or quality problems experienced with the use of this product may be reported to the FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program either online, by regular mail or by fax. Complete and submit the report online.
