Hand sanitizer panic

[Dex Sawash]

Are the hand sanitizers with methanol or other "wrong" alcohols OK if you don't drink them?
The panic articles seem to skirt around that.
Asking for a friend who doesn't drink, zorb or huff hand sanitizer.

[tao of wub]

Methanol is VERY toxic.  It is absorbed by skin and eye contact as well as drinking it or breathing it as vapour.

It is NOT safe to use on your body, or where you will breath methanol fumes.  Anybody who tells you otherwise is 100% wrong.

Please DON'T use methanol on your body in any way.  Other alcohols, like isopropyl alcohol are still toxic, but not as toxic as methanol.  You wouldn't want to drink isopropyl but it does get used in hand sanitisers and this seems to be acceptable usage.

Get your friend to look over this list of dodgy sanitisers from the FDA.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/toxic-hand-sanitizer-75-brands-fda-warning/

https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-updates-hand-sanitizers-methanol

Ethanol based gels are going to be safest.

You can get data on chemicals by searching for the chemical name and the MSDS.  These can be a bit confusing though.  They generally tell you to not get any on you or in you, which is not very helpful in the context of hand cleaning gels.

While I am going on about solvents, if you ever have paint or similar on your skin, please don't be tempted to use solvents, like white spirit or whatever to wipe it off.

When you do this, some of the stuff on you dissolves in the solvent and gets through your skin to your tissue and blood.

The best way to deal with paint or ink etc. on your skin is to wash it with warm water and soap.  You can scrub at it too with a brush.  This works well.  Washing up liquid, (dish soap in USA?) works well.  You might find ink type stains won't come off.  Don't be tempted to try and solvent them away.  The skin will grow out.  Gloves will stop you getting stuff on you in the first place and eye protection will help keep it out of your eyes..

[Sebastian Cobb]

Meths is bad because it gets broken down into formaldehyde by your liver, but you can prevent your liver from doing that by having ethanol in your system, as it prioritises that and your kidneys piss out the meths.

What I'm saying here is that the way to play it safe is to be drunk.

I didn't realise methanol was quite as bad as tao was claiming. I don't really use it but I do get more or less pure isop on my hands sometimes when cleaning electronics or the gunk out my vaporiser and also use it for mixing my own record cleaner (80% deionised 'car battery' water, 20% ethanol and 1/8th teaspoon of surficant if you're interested)

[tao of wub]

There is no clear lethal dose for methanol in humans.  As you note, it is its conversion into other substances which is the major problem, with ethanol being a competitor for the enzymes doing the conversion, so an antidote.

Methanol is oxidised to formaldehyde, which is then oxidised to formic acid.  The formic acid, (as formate) goes on to inhibit the work of the mitochondria, which is serious problem for delicate tissues.

Some unfortunate went blind from drinking a mere 4 ml of methanol and death is possible from ingesting 30 to 100 ml.  But others have ingested a massive 500 ml and not gone blind or died!  Best not to have any exposure though.

You may find your skin becomes constantly dry and cracked as the tissue is de-fatted if you keep getting isopropyl in the same spot.  Grab some gloves, even the polythene ones at fuel pumps will protect.

If you do any scrubbing with solvent, eventually you may well flick dirty blob of it into your eye if you don't have protection, which is never nice.

I left hundreds of very clean 12" and LPs at a friends for a few weeks and they covered them in finger grease and scratches.  I still haven't cleaned them and some have grown mouldy fingerprints.  Might have to try the PVA glue method.

[Dex Sawash]

Thanks, if I find a dumpster full of methanol sanitizer I'll just leave it then.
Maybe it could be burned in a camp stove though.
Off to ask at cookdandburnd

[Sebastian Cobb]

I left hundreds of very clean 12" and LPs at a friends for a few weeks and they covered them in finger grease and scratches.  I still haven't cleaned them and some have grown mouldy fingerprints.  Might have to try the PVA glue method.

One of these and the solution I suggested works very well. The light horse-hair really scrapes the shit out of the grooves in the way a cleaning cloth can't.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Knosti-1300001-DISCO-ANTISTAT-RECORD-CLEANER-Black/dp/B000BFXIVW/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2J4SNCNB2J6FI&dchild=1&keywords=knosti+disco-antistat+record+cleaner&qid=1595699721&sprefix=knosti%2Caps%2C166&sr=8-3

Made me realise that scratches aren't often as big as a problem as you'd think, most of the clicks, pops and even jumps are often grub rather than physical damage.

[Head Gardener]

alternatively squirt words out with alcoholic hand sanitizer onto the pavement and set fire to them, cool effect, possibly

[tao of wub]

the clicks, pops and even jumps are often grub rather than physical damage.

Thanks for the suggestion.  Agree with this.  90's records often got their grooves clogged with horrible soap bar residue.  Not a good marriage of drugs and music.  Then glass beads in grit weed came for the CDs.

Nasty.

[Brian Freeze]

  Other alcohols, like isopropyl alcohol are still toxic, but not as toxic as methanol.  You wouldn't want to drink isopropyl but it does get used in hand sanitisers and this seems to be acceptable usage.

We made our own hand sanitizer when it was impossible to get hold of. Using IPA, some aloe plant and essential oils. I hadnt thought about its toxicity and your post spurred me on to look into it. I think we will be ok but I did find an article saying that 70% IPA is more effective than 90% IPA. This was on gotopac.com and I will be diluting our products forthwith.

I will also try and stop cleaning my hands with solvents after painting too. Cheers for that. Hope its not too late!

[Cuntbeaks]

One of these and the solution I suggested works very well. The light horse-hair really scrapes the shit out of the grooves in the way a cleaning cloth can't.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Knosti-1300001-DISCO-ANTISTAT-RECORD-CLEANER-Black/dp/B000BFXIVW/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2J4SNCNB2J6FI&dchild=1&keywords=knosti+disco-antistat+record+cleaner&qid=1595699721&sprefix=knosti%2Caps%2C166&sr=8-3

Made me realise that scratches aren't often as big as a problem as you'd think, most of the clicks, pops and even jumps are often grub rather than physical damage.

Anothet fan of the Knosti here, make your own fluid and you're good to go.

Records come out looking like they've been reborn.

[H-O-W-L]

That Wright's Coal Tar Soap is fucking wicked sick at removing paint from hands.