Abstract
SummaryThe 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 (R2 = 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.
Highlights
The global health emergency due to the infectious severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2) causing COVID-19 (Wu et al, 2020) has rapidly increased the need for personal protective equipment, that led temporarily to acute shortages in supply compromising health-care workforce safety (Ranney et al, 2020)
Results were compared to established gas chromatography as recommended by FDA (U.S Food and Drug Administration, 2020b)
Headspace vapor is extracted for 10 s through a sampling capillary with a vane pump
Summary
The global health emergency due to the infectious severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2) causing COVID-19 (Wu et al, 2020) has rapidly increased the need for personal protective equipment (e.g. face masks, ventilators, or sanitizers), that led temporarily to acute shortages in supply compromising health-care workforce safety (Ranney et al, 2020). Public awareness about safety issues in hand sanitizers has emerged since the FDA placed a warning for 212 products (by November 20, 2020) (U.S Food and Drug Administration, 2020a) that contained up to 81 vol% of toxic methanol, drastically exceeding recommended (U.S Food and Drug Administration, 2020b) limits (0.063 vol%). Commercial hand sanitizers should contain only ethanol or 2-propanol for antisepsis, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) (World Health Organization, 2010). Low-cost and portable methanol detectors are needed to assist distributors, local authorities and even consumers to check product safety. Challenging for such detectors are the required selectivity over other hand sanitizer ingredients, the large methanol detection range (at least 0.063–81 vol%), fast response times and, ideally, repeated usability.
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