FDA finds 20% of hand-sanitising gels on shelves below standard
Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently conducted a study on alcohol-based sanitising gels available in the market and has found that some 20 per cent do not meet its standards, FDA’s deputy permanent secretary Suphatra Boonserm said.
“Of the 135 brands tested, 27 failed FDA standards while eight were found to contain methanol. Legal action has already been taken against these manufacturers,” she said.
Methanol cannot be used in hand sanitisers because it can cause poisoning and affect the eyes or the nervous system. It is also believed to cause dermatitis.
“FDA has also revoked manufacturing permits from 82 producers who failed to make hand-sanitising gel that contains at least 70 per cent of alcohol, and confiscated products they had stored in warehouses in different provinces, including Pathum Thani and Samut Sakhon.”
Suphatra added that the crackdown on substandard alcohol gel manufacturers has resulted in 70 offenders facing charges and seizure of products worth more than Bt148 million.
Consumers are encouraged to report sub-standard products to the FDA via www.fda.moph.go.th, Line and Facebook @FDAThai, or through the Oryor Smart mobile application.