Detecting methanol in hand sanitizers

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has increased dramatically the demand for hand sanitizers. A major concern is methanol adulteration that caused more than 700 fatalities in Iran and U.S.A. (since February 2020). In response, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has restricted the methanol content in sanitizers to 0.063 vol% and blacklisted 212 products (as of November 20, 2020). Here, we present a low-cost, handheld, and smartphone-assisted device that detects methanol selectively in sanitizers between 0.01 and 100 vol% within two minutes. It features a nanoporous polymer column that separates methanol selectively from confounders by adsorption. A chemoresistive gas sensor detects the methanol. When tested on commercial sanitizers (total 76 samples), methanol was quantified in excellent (R-2 = 0.99) agreement to gold standard'' gas chromatography. Importantly, methanol quantification was hardly interfered by sanitizer composition and viscosity. This device meets an urgent need for on-site methanol screening by authorities, health professionals, and even laymen.

Automated summary

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a surge in demand for hand sanitizers, but concerns over methanol adulteration have arisen. A newly developed device offers a fast and accurate way to detect methanol in sanitizers, meeting the urgent need for on-site screening by authorities, health professionals, and the general public. Testing has shown that the device is highly accurate and stable, with minimal interference from sanitizer composition and viscosity.