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squeaky clean? — FDA warns chemical company not to mix brake cleaner into hand sanitizer It’s not the first time the regulatory agency chided the chemical company for this.

Beth Mole – Nov 30, 2023 1:13 pm UTC EnlargeGetty Images | Jena Ardell reader comments 16 with

A chemical manufacturing facility in Wisconsin has drawn the ire of the Food and Drug Administration for making hand sanitizer with the same equipment it uses to make products with toxic industrial solvents and chemicals, such as automotive brake parts cleaner. The practice is a clear violation of manufacturing standards and could lead to harmful cross-contamination, the FDA said.

The agency sent a warning letter dated October 26 to the maker of the hand sanitizer, Brenntag Great Lakes, LLC, in Wisconsin. The letter, which redacted the name of the hand sanitizer, stated that the agency had found “significant violations” in an inspection in the spring and that the company’s responses since then were “inadequate.”

Further ReadingMounting poisonings, blindness, deaths as toxic hand sanitizers flood marketToxic hand sanitizers became an alarming problem in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when demand for the germ-fighting gels skyrocketed and manufacturers rushed products to market. Hundreds of products that flooded the market were found to contain methanol, a toxic alcohol that can cause harm via inhalation, ingestion, and skin absorption. Use of the products leads to poisoning, blindness, and even death, the FDA reported.

Though methanol contamination is not the concern in this case, the FDA indicated Brenntag’s hand sanitizer could be contaminated with class 2 solvents, which include those that have irreversible toxicity, including neurotoxicity. Advertisement

The regulator noted that this isn’t the first time FDA inspectors have warned Brenntag about using the same equipment to manufacture both toxic industrial products and the over-the-counter (OTC) hand sanitizer, which the FDA regulates as a drug product.

“This was noted during a previous inspection,” the FDA wrote in the letter, “and as a corrective action you stated you would discontinue the use of non-dedicated blending tank equipment in the manufacture of OTC drug products. However, our investigator observed that you continued to use non-dedicated blending tank equipment to manufacture OTC drug products.”

According to the FDA, the company allegedly told the regulator that, although it had planned to set up dedicated equipment for the hand sanitizer, this plan was “not effectively communicated to the production team.”

But, in a statement to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Brenntag entirely denied that the hand sanitizer was made on the same equipment and said the alleged violation was due to a “documentation error.” It added that it is revising its manufacturing processes to “establish that all alleged issues have been addressed.”

The FDA went on to note other violations, including failures in quality control and compliance. It required Brenntag to submit a slew of documentation regarding remediation and assessments, and recommended the company hire a consultant to help. The FDA also noted that Brenntag had troubled inspections in 2014 and 2019 for similar problems.

The company has 15 business days to respond. reader comments 16 with Beth Mole Beth is Ars Technicas Senior Health Reporter. Beth has a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and attended the Science Communication program at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She specializes in covering infectious diseases, public health, and microbes. Advertisement Channel Ars Technica ← Previous story Related Stories Today on Ars

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Kneecap release new single ahead of Wide Awake headline show

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Kneecap release new single ahead of Wide Awake headline show

Kneecap have released a new single ahead of their headline performance at London’s Wide Awake festival, just days after one of their members was charged with a terror offence.

The rap trio from Belfast shared a link to the song – The Recap – which opens with Sky News presenter Wilfred Frost reporting about the counter terrorism police investigation – on Instagram, linking to their WhatsApp channel.

Kneecap performing in Belfast last year. Pic: PA
Image:
Kneecap performing in Belfast last year. Pic: PA

Bandmembers Liam O hAnnaidh, Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh, also thanked the 25,000 fans who had bought tickets for Friday night’s festival.

They also reference Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, with whom they’ve had previous run-ins, writing: “Kemi Badenoch you might wanna sit down for this one, if you’ve any seats left.”

Last year, Kneecap won a discrimination case against the UK government in Belfast High Court after former business secretary Ms Badenoch tried to refuse them a £14,250 funding award when she was a minister.

Ms Badenoch has called for Kneecap to be banned and suggested they should be dropped from the Glastonbury Festival line-up. Some other politicians have made the same demand.

The track mocks Badenoch’s attempts to block their arts funding and the Conservative Party’s election loss. It features DJ Mozey.

It comes after O hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged over the alleged display of a Hezbollah flag at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, in November last year, the Metropolitan Police said on Wednesday.

On Thursday, the band held a surprise gig at the 100 Club on Oxford Street, where O hAnnaidh could be seen in videos on social media arriving on stage with tape covering his mouth.

He then joked about being careful about what he said, adding that he wanted to thank his lawyer, saying: “I need to thank my lawyer, he’s here tonight as well.”

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Stars talk about risks of speaking out

In video footage posted to YouTube, the band led the audience in a chant of “free Mo Chara” and joked about the police presence at the venue.

Police said they attended to manage visitors to the sold-out event.

The band said on X that the central London event sold out in 90 seconds, with 2,000 people on the waiting list.

O hAnnaidh, 27, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 18 June.

Formed in 2017, the group are known for their provocative lyrics in both Irish and English and proved a critical hit in the 2024 semi-fictionalised band origin story movie Kneecap, starring actor Michael Fassbender.

Their best-known tracks include Get Your Brits Out, Better Way To Live, featuring Grian Chatten from Fontaines DC, and 3Cag.

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Sources: Isles hiring Darche from T.B. as new GM

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Sources: Isles hiring Darche from T.B. as new GM

The New York Islanders have the man to make the first pick in the draft. Sources told ESPN’s Emily Kaplan that the team is hiring Lightning assistant general manager Mathieu Darche as its new GM.

Darche played parts of nine seasons in the league with five different teams.

He has worked in Tampa Bay’s front office since 2019, helping the Lightning win two Stanley Cups. This will be the 48-year-old’s first general manager job.

Darche takes over for Lou Lamoriello, who was fired this offseason after seven seasons on the job. New York didn’t make the playoffs this season and hasn’t made it past the first round since 2020-21 — when the Islanders lost in the East semifinals to the Lightning.

The Isles lucked out in the draft lottery, jumping from 10th to the first selection. This will be the first time they’ll have the top pick since taking John Tavares in 2009.

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Nill, Cheveldayoff, Zito up for GM of Year Award

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Nill, Cheveldayoff, Zito up for GM of Year Award

Jim Nill, Kevin Cheveldayoff and Bill Zito have been named finalists for the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award, the NHL announced Friday.

The voting for the award was conducted between league general managers, a panel of executives and media members following the conclusion of the second round of the playoffs.

Nill, 67, has seen his Dallas Stars reach the Western Conference finals for the third straight season. He is a two-time winner of this award (2023, 2024) and five-time finalist

Cheveldayoff, 55, has spent the last 14 seasons with the Winnipeg Jets, who captured the Presidents’ Trophy this season. He also was a finalist for the GM of the Year Award in 2018.

Zito, 60, is looking to guide the Florida Panthers to their third consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final. He has been a finalist for the GM of the Year Award in three straight years and four of the last five.

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