Contaminated hand sanitizer seized after manufacturer refuses to destroy it
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Hand sanitizer is supposed to get rid of bacteria -- not spread the seeds of disease. But that’s what the Food and Drug Administration found anti-bacterial hand sanitizers and lotions made by Clarcon Biological Chemistry Laboratory Inc. to be doing.
An FDA inspection determined that Clarcon’s over-the-counter products, which are designed to treat open wounds and damaged skin and guard against diseases by killing bacteria, actually contained bacteria that can cause skin and tissue infections. In severe cases, such infections could require surgery or cause permanent injury.
The agency’s findings resulted in Clarcon voluntarily agreeing to a recall the contaminated products in June.
That, however, wasn’t the end of the problem. The FDA told Clarcon to destroy the remaining inventory and ingredients of the not-so-sanitary sanitizing items but the company refused, the agency said.
So the FDA unleashed the U.S. marshals on Clarcon. At the request the FDA, marshals have seized all skin sanitizers and skin protectants, including ingredients used to make the products, from Clarcon’s facility in Roy, Utah. Poor manufacturing practices at the factory permitted contamination of the products, the FDA said.
The recalled and seized products are:
- CitruShield Lotion
- Dermasentials DermaBarrier
- Dermassentials by Clarcon Antimicrobial Hand Sanitizer
- Iron Fist Barrier Hand Treatment
- Skin Shield Restaurant
- Skin Shield Industrial
- Skin Shield Beauty Salon Lotion
- Total Skin Care Beauty
- Total Skin Care Work
Clarcon produced and distributed more than 800,000 bottles of these products in across the U.S. since 2007, the FDA said. Consumers should discard any Clarcon products, the agency said.
So far the FDA has received no reports of injury or disease related to the recalled items.
Problems can be reported to the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program either online or by calling (800) 332-1088.
-- Nathan Olivarez-Giles