Market Restricted By Potential Hazards As US FDA Expands List Of Deadly Hand Sanitizers

Fueled by the coronavirus outbreak, many companies have come forward in developing new hand sanitizers to meet the public demand – but the Food and Drug Administration has warned that some of the alcohols used in these products can be poisonous. The expansion of production capacities and revamping of companies to meet the higher demand for hand sanitizers is a major trend shaping the industry. Some manufacturers of alcoholic drinks have turned into sanitizer producers amid the COVID-19 outbreak. This step was taken as companies’ contributions during the pandemic in order to meet the increasing demand for hand sanitizers for health and hygiene.

The U.S. FDA expanded its list of harmful hand sanitizers as many of these were found to contain methanol, which is toxic to humans and can be deadly. This chemical can result in nausea, vision impairment, seizures, nervous system damage, and even death. It is lethal in nature and therefore should be avoided, but especially should not be ingested.

As per the Global Market Model, the global hand sanitizers market is expected to grow from $1.52 billion in 2019 to $3.04 billion in 2020. As mentioned, this markable growth is mainly due to the COVID-19 outbreak and the surge in the demand for hand sanitizers as a measure to contain it. The market is then expected to stabilize and reach $3.34 billion in 2023 at a rate of 3.21%. The market is segmented by type into quartenary ammonium compounds-based, alcohol-based, tridosan-based and by product into gel, foam, liquid, and others.

The coronavirus outbreak is a major driver for the growth of sanitizers market. Hygiene is an important part of safety for the protection against coronavirus and to stay healthy in general. Sanitizers are substances or liquids used for cleaning objects in order to get rid of harmful microorganisms including bacteria. These are products that combine disinfectant and detergent and are used to remove dirt, reduce or kill bacteria, and dissolve grease from surface to at least 99.9%. However, the occupational risk of exposure to chemicals during the production of chemical-based sanitizers is forecast to restrict the development of the sanitizers market over the forecast period.