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3 People Die, 1 Left Permanently Blind After Drinking Hand Sanitizer; and Wendy’s, Pizza Hut Files for Bankruptcy.
Sadly, three people have died and one has been left permanently blind. This happened after drinking hand sanitizer. Health officials say that three others are also in critical condition. In particular, hand sanitizer can be deadly because it contains methanol.
The tragic events happened in New Mexico, and the United States. However, the state’s Department of Health said the cases were related to alcoholism.
As a result, Kathy Kunkel, the New Mexico Health Secretary, issued a statement:
“If you think you may have used or consumed hand sanitizer containing methanol, please seek medical care. An antidote to methanol poisoning is available, but the earlier someone gets treated for methanol poisoning the better the chance of recovery.”
Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned people to stop using nine hand sanitizers – namely, those made by Eskbiochem SA de CV, a Mexican company. This is because the hand sanitizers contained high methanol levels.
The FDA explained that “Methanol is not an acceptable ingredient for hand sanitizers and should not be used due to its toxic effects.
They went on to add, “Consumers who have been exposed to hand sanitizer containing methanol should seek immediate treatment, which is critical for potential reversal of toxic effects of methanol poisoning.
“Substantial methanol exposure can result in nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, permanent blindness, seizures, coma, permanent damage to the nervous system, or death.
“Although all persons using these products on their hands are at risk, young children who accidentally ingest these products and adolescents and adults who drink these products as an alcohol (ethanol) substitute, are most at risk for methanol poisoning.”
Related: Hand Sanitizer Can Explode in Cars, Warns Fire Dept
An operator of 1,200 Pizza Huts and almost 400 Wendy’s restaurants has filed for bankruptcy. NPC International, the franchisee, has been dealing with a myriad of problems. Some were related to the coronavirus, while others included a massive debt burden and rising labor and food costs.
As a result, Pizza Hut says the filing “was unexpected”, but they remain supportive of NPC.
“As NPC works through this process, we support an outcome resulting in an organization with a lower, more sustainable level of debt, ownership focus on operational excellence, and a greater level of restaurant investment,” a Pizza Hut spokesperson said. They hope the filing will “strengthen the overall health and performance of the entire system for the long term.”
Unfortunately, NPC joins a growing list of companies that have recently filed for bankruptcy. Including, Neiman Marcus, Chuck E. Cheese, 24 Hour Fitness, and J. Crew.
Sadly, they can’t simply search for “get my business on google.” Hopefully, these businesses can recover after the pandemic is over. As a result, time will tell.
Related: Small Businesses Facing Bankruptcy Amid Pandemic
