Consumer Alert: The FDA wants you to stop using a cancer-causing hand sanitizer. Is it in your home?

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a serious warning about a popular hand sanitizer. I have investigated dangerous sanitizers extensively and follow the FDA’s list of toxic products closely.

Even though the FDA issued a recall of all Artnaturals Hand Sanitizers on Monday, on Wednesday I found the product is still being sold by some major retailers.

My months of investigations during the summer of 2020 found products that the FDA said were contaminated with methanol still being sold by major retailers. The FDA was finding toxins in so many sanitizers, retailers were having a tough time keeping up.

And News10NBC’s independent testing of sanitizers revealed some were not 60% alcohol, the amount that the FDA says is needed to effectively kill viruses and bacteria.

Now the FDA is warning us about what it found in Artnaturals products. While this sanitizer has natural in the name and the bottle says it contains natural elements, what the FDA found is anything but natural.

The FDA says the product is contaminated with acetaldehyde, a chemical researchers discovered was potentially deadly in animal studies. It’s also a possible carcinogen. It also contained benzene which can cause cancer as well as acetal which can irritate your eyes, skin and respiratory tract.

I checked six major retailers Wednesday. The good news is it appears most have already pulled the product. Wegmans, Target, BJ’s Wholesale Club and Costco Wholesale are no longer selling Artnaturals sanitizers on their websites.

But I found four Artnaturals sanitizer products for sale at Walmart.com. And Amazon is still selling it as well in a variety of sizes including a gallon jug.

That’s why we as consumers have to be vigilant. The FDA has now listed 260 different products on its list of dangerous hand sanitizers.

If you have any Artnaturals hand sanitizers in your home, the FDA wants you to stop using them immediately. Don’t throw them away or flush them. Instead, FDA leaders say you should dispose of it as hazardous waste.

You can do that in the Rochester Area at the Eco Park on Wednesdays and Saturdays. You must make an appointment. Click here for more information about how to make one.