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FDA warns consumers about dangerous hand sanitizers

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Image by Ri Butov from Pixabay

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Reiterates Warning About Dangerous Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers Containing Methanol, Takes Additional Action to Address Concerning Products

Agency Urges Consumers, Health Care Professionals Not to Use Certain Products, Citing Serious Adverse Events and Death

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration continues to warn consumers and health care professionals not to use certain alcohol-based hand sanitizers due to the dangerous presence of methanol, or wood alcohol – a substance often used to create fuel and antifreeze that can be toxic when absorbed through the skin as well as life-threatening when ingested. The agency has also taken additional action to help prevent certain hand sanitizers from entering the United States by placing them on an import alert. The FDA is proactively working with manufacturers to recall products and is encouraging retailers to remove products from store shelves and online marketplaces. As part of these actions, a warning letter has been issued to Eskbiochem S.A. de C.V. regarding the distribution of products labeled as manufactured at its facilities with undeclared methanol, misleading claims –including incorrectly stating that FDA approved these products—and improper manufacturing practices.

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A rush is on to mine the deep seabed

Photo of mineral deposits on the ocean floor
Manganese nodules on the Atlantic Ocean floor off the southeastern United States, discovered in 2019 during the Deep Sea Ventures pilot test. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration

A rush is on to mine the deep seabed, with effects on ocean life that aren’t well understood

Elizabeth M. De Santo, Franklin & Marshall College; Elizabeth Mendenhall, University of Rhode Island, and Elizabeth Nyman, Texas A&M University

Mining the ocean floor for submerged minerals is a little-known, experimental industry. But soon it will take place on the deep seabed, which belongs to everyone, according to international law.

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Turning bricks into batteries

Artwork image of electrical power over bricks
Bricks could do double duty as building materials and supercapacitors. Big_Ryan/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images

Clever chemistry turns ordinary bricks into electricity storage devices

Julio M. D’Arcy, Washington University in St Louis

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

In my synthetic chemistry lab, we have worked out how to convert the red pigment in common bricks into a plastic that conducts electricity, and this process enabled us to turn bricks into electricity storage devices. These brick supercapacitors could be connected to solar panels to store rechargeable energy. Supercapacitors store electric charge, in contrast to batteries, which store chemical energy.

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Being a COVID-19 long-hauler

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Margot Gage Witvliet was hospitalized with COVID-19 in March. More than four months later, she has yet to recover. Courtesy of Margot Gage Witvliet, Author provided

I’m a COVID-19 long-hauler and an epidemiologist – here’s how it feels when symptoms last for months

Margot Gage Witvliet, Lamar University

Imagine being young and healthy, a nonsmoker with no preexisting health conditions, and then waking up one morning feeling like you were being suffocated by an unseen force. Back in March, this was my reality.

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A violent derecho sweeps through the Midwest

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A deadly derecho strikes central Kansas. (Photo by Jim Reed/Corbis via Getty Images)

What is a derecho? An atmospheric scientist explains these rare but dangerous storm systems

Russ Schumacher, Colorado State University

Thunderstorms are common across North America, especially in warm weather months. About 10% of them become severe, meaning they produce hail 1 inch or greater in diameter, winds gusting in excess of 50 knots (57.5 miles per hour), or a tornado.

The U.S. recently has experienced three rarer events: organized lines of thunderstorms with widespread damaging winds, known as derechos.

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A dietitian shares tips for eating well

Photo of sliced strawberries
Food is fuel for the human body. Photo by Merve Aydin for Unsplash

8 simple strategies to fuel your body during a pandemic

Julie Lee, Binghamton University, State University of New York

People eat for many reasons – pleasure, emotional release, boredom or to connect with others. And then there is eating during a pandemic. Whether you find yourself working from home, in quarantine or transitioning back to an office, chances are good that COVID-19 has impacted how you eat.

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COVID-19 and its effect on the brain under scrutiny

Image of brain with superimposed drawing of virus
3D rendering illustration coronavirus x-rays lung show terrifying damage in lungs of Covid-19 analyze first US patient with coronavirus illustration,show terrifying damage in lungs.illustration

How COVID-19 might increase risk of memory loss and cognitive decline

Natalie C. Tronson, University of Michigan

Of all frightening ways that the SARS-COV-2 virus affects the body, one of the more insidious is the effect of COVID-19 on the brain.

It is now clear that many patients suffering from COVID-19 exhibit neurological symptoms, from loss of smell, to delirium, to an increased risk of stroke. There are also longer-lasting consequences for the brain, including myalgic encephalomyelitis /chronic fatigue syndrome and Guillain-Barre syndrome.

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Increasing ocean warming threatens coral reefs

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Climate-driven ocean warming threatens healthy coral reefs, like this one in Hawaii. Shawna Foo, CC BY-ND

Ocean warming threatens coral reefs and soon could make it harder to restore them

Shawna Foo, Arizona State University

Coral reefs support over 25% of marine life by providing food, shelter and a place for fish and other organisms to reproduce and raise young. Today, ocean warming driven by climate change is stressing reefs worldwide.

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Regional success and setbacks in the battle against a pandemic

Photo of people wearing masks and social distancing
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 17: People practice social distancing in white circles in Domino Park in Williamsburg during the coronavirus pandemic on May 17, 2020 in New York City. COVID-19 has spread to most countries around the world, claiming over 316,000 lives with over 4.8 million infections reported. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)

As coronavirus cases spike in the South, Northeast seems to have the pandemic under control – here’s what changed

Taison Bell, University of Virginia

“Hospital Capacity Crosses Tipping Point in U.S. Coronavirus Hot Spots” – Wall Street Journal

This is a headline I hoped to not see again after the number of coronavirus infections had finally started to decline in the Northeast and Pacific Northwest. However, the pandemic has now shifted to the South and the West – with Arizona, Florida, California and Texas as hot spots.

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Wildfires lingering threat to water resources

Photo of extensive fire damage
PARADISE, CA - NOVEMBER 10: Power lines rest on cars that were burned by the Camp Fire on November 10, 2018 in Paradise, California. Fueled by high winds and low humidity, the rapidly spreading Camp Fire ripped through the town of Paradise and has quickly charred 100,000 acres and has destroyed over 6,700 homes and businesses in a matter of hours. The fire is currently at 20 percent containment. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Wildfires can poison drinking water – here’s how communities can be better prepared

The 2018 Camp Fire north of Sacramento burned everything in its path: cars, power lines, and buildings – and contaminated local drinking water.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Andrew J. Whelton, Purdue University and Caitlin R. Proctor, Purdue University

In recent years wildfires have entered urban areas, causing breathtaking destruction.

The 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise and Butte County, California was the deadliest and most destructive fire in California’s history. It took 86 lives and destroyed more than 18,000 structures in a matter of hours.

Almost two years later, only a fraction of the area’s 40,000-plus population has returned. This disaster followed the 2017 Tubbs Fire, which killed 22 people in California’s Sonoma and Napa counties.

After both fires, drinking water tests revealed a plethora of acutely toxic and carcinogenic pollutants. Water inside homes was not safe to use, or even to treat. Water pipes buried underground and inside of buildings were extensively contaminated.

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