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What is benzene?
Here is a look at what benzene is, where it's found and how it can affect those who are exposed.
Best Brands Consumer Products is voluntarily recalling two lots of Disney-brand hand sanitizers, citing the presence of benzene and methanol. The Mickey Mouse and Mandalorian-edition hand sanitizers were produced by a third-party manufacturer.
Food and Drug Administration testing found benzene, a human carcinogen, in the Mandalorian hand sanitizer and methanol in the Mickey sanitizer. Best Brands was notified of the testing results in late February and followed up with their own investigation.
Both lots were produced in April and May 2020 but were later removed from sale in April 2021 due to "unrelated commercial reasons."
Benzene exposure via inhalation, orally, or skin could result in life-threatening cancers and/or blood disorders. Likewise, methanol exposure can result in "nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, coma, seizures, blindness, damage to the central nervous system, or death," according to the FDA.
Best Brands has yet to receive any complaints or reports of adverse effects from any Disney-themed products. They have already advised consumers to discard items from lot 20E21 with an expiration date of Sept. 30, 2022 of the Mandalorian sanitizer and the Mickey Mouse hand sanitizer from lot 20D21, with a June, 30, 2022 expiration date.
Customers have been advised to report any concerns or issues to the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program.