Open AccessMethanol detection in commercial sanitizing gels, during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Author(s) -
Luis de la Torre Sáenz,
D. Lardizábal-Gutiérrez,
I. Estrada-Guel,
F. ParaguayDelgado
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
tecnociencia chihuahua/tecnociencia chihuahua (en línea)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2683-3360
pISSN - 1870-6606
DOI - 10.54167/tecnociencia.v15i1.761
Subject(s) - covid-19 , methanol , ethanol , chemistry , pulp and paper industry , pandemic , chromatography , waste management , organic chemistry , virology , medicine , engineering , disease , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , outbreak
The ethanol (active) and methanol (toxic) substances content were quantified for commercial sanitizing gels. The health emergency caused by the COVID-19 epidemic has motivated to production of sanitizing gels to cover higher demand. The analytical composition of 24 commercial gels is reported (15 produced by national and transnational companies, and 9 collected gels which were in use at public areas). From the results it was found, that only one brand of 15 gels meets the quality requirements regarding 70% (wt./wt.) of ethanol content. Concerning to the collected gels, none of them contains the minimum active compound required. The non-compliance of this requirement means that these gels present its sanitizing action diminished. A striking result is that 25% of commercially packaged gels contain methanol - a toxic substance - in alarming amounts, hundreds of times more than the FDA upper limits requirement.