During the COVID-19 pandemic, hand sanitizer has become a staple in all households across the world. Sure, it may be hard to get with demand so high, but at this point in the health crisis, most of us have a bottle or two stocked up.

However, not all hand sanitizers are created equal. And because of that, you may want to check the brand of your hand sanitizer (or the ingredients) before using it.

The US Food and Drug Administration has come up with a lengthy list of brands that contain methanol, an unsafe form of alcohol that has the potential to poison people through their skin. The list has been growing for a while, and they just added even more brands they recently discovered, including common ones that are typically sold at stores such as Walmart and Target.

“Methanol is not an acceptable ingredient for hand sanitizers and must not be used due to its toxic effects,” the FDA said in a statement.

If you’ve just realized your hand sanitizer contains methanol and are experiencing any kind of symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, seizures, or anything else out of the ordinary, the FDA recommends seeking immediate treatment, as this may be methanol poisoning.

The reason for the uptick in methanol-based hand sanitizers is because of the high demand for bottles due to the pandemic, and companies are just trying to get sanitizers out there without considering the harmful effects. It’s important to be aware of and avoid the use of these dangerous brands.

“Consumers must also be vigilant about which hand sanitizers they use, and for their health and safety we urge consumers to immediately stop using all hand sanitizers on the FDA’s list of dangerous hand sanitizer products,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn said in a statement.

“We remain extremely concerned about the potentially serious risks of alcohol-based hand sanitizers containing methanol,” he continued. “Producing, importing, and distributing toxic hand sanitizers poses a serious threat to the public and will not be tolerated.

The list of affected hand sanitizers has grown to a whopping 77 brands. You can check the entire recall list here. Plus, watch the video below for the brands sold at Target and Walmart.

Do you have any of these hand sanitizers lingering in your home? What do you think of companies using methanol? Do you know anyone who has experienced methanol poisoning due to using a hand sanitizer with methanol?