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Free distribution of face masks, hand sanitizer Saturday morning at fire stations in Batavia, Corfu, Le Roy

By Press Release

Submitted photo and press release:

On Saturday, Sept. 12, members of the City of Batavia Fire Department, volunteer Corfu Rescue Hook and Ladder Company #1, and the Le Roy Fire Department will be participating in a mask and hand-sanitizer distribution for residents of Genesee County in response to New York State Department of Health Guidelines.

The FREE distribution of washable, cloth masks and hand sanitizer will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. at:

  • City of Batavia Fire Station – 18 Evans St., Batavia
  • Corfu Fire Station – 116 E. Main St., Corfu
  • Le Roy Fire Station – 4 Clay St., Le Roy

Genesee County Office of Emergency Management reminds everyone to WEAR A MASK. Protect your community. Stop the spread of coronavirus. Be respectful.

Important warnings on recalls of dangerous hand sanitizers containing methanol

By Billie Owens

From the Upstate New York Poison Center in Syracuse, Aug. 5:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently added more names to the list of hand sanitizers contaminated with methanol. Methanol, or wood alcohol, is a toxic substance that is not approved for use in hand sanitizers.

Since mid-July alone, the Upstate New York Poison Center has received 49 calls about these products from our 54-county service area. Overall calls for information about hand sanitizers in general and for ingestions/exposures has more than doubled from last year.

Most hand sanitizers contain ethyl alcohol (ethanol). While dangerous if ingested, it is safe when used as directed for keeping hands clean from germs. Methanol is not an acceptable ingredient for any hand sanitizer.

Also known as wood alcohol, methanol is often used in pesticides, paint thinner and antifreeze. It can be toxic if absorbed through the skin (though this is rare) and deadly if ingested. Children especially are at high risk as they often explore their surroundings by taste.

“Unfortunately, with these products, there is no way for consumers to tell if the product contains methanol,” says Gail Banach, director of public education and communications at the Upstate New York Poison Center. “Methanol is not approved for use in hand sanitizers, so it will not be listed on the ingredient panel, even if it is inside, so we recommend everyone check the list from the FDA.”

The FDA has composed a list of the companies and products involved and posted a do-not-use list of dangerous hand sanitizer products. Some of the products on the FDA’s list have been recalled, others are recommended for recall are still on the market. The products all appear to have been produced in Mexico.

Consumers are asked to check the FDA’s list and compare the information with any hand sanitizer they may have in the home including: manufacturer name, product name and national drug code (NDC) number.

As the number of related calls to poison centers and health departments increases, the FDA is working with U.S. manufacturers to keep or remove these toxic products from the market. If any of the identifiers on a purchased product match those on the list, the FDA urges consumers to immediately stop using the hand sanitizer.

Call the Upstate New York Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222 with any questions.

According to the FDA, methanol exposure can result in nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, permanent blindness, seizures, coma, permanent damage to the nervous system or death. Most of these poisonings occur when someone drinks this product.

Remember, dispose of the hand sanitizer as recommended by local waste management and recycling centers. Do not flush or pour these products down the drain or mix with other liquids.

Hawley announces restock of hand sanitizer for local businesses

By Billie Owens

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley announced today that his district office is continuing to distribute hand sanitizer to local businesses in need.

Hawley has confirmed the sanitizer comes by the gallon or in 2-ounce bottles for employee and employer use.

This initiative is part of a continued effort to assist local businesses with keeping up their health standards in conjunction with CDC and Department of Health regulations following the COVID-19 outbreak in New York.

“I’m happy to help the community any way I can, and while this gesture is small, I know it goes a long way,” Hawley said. “This is just one of the ways I’m showing the rest of the state that we can uphold health standards on our own while reopening the economy and supporting our communities at the same time.”

Hawley and his district office are also working on acquiring more face masks for personal and business use. Anyone looking to acquire hand sanitizer in the future may reach out to Hawley’s district office to coordinate a pick-up. Anyone looking to acquire masks may reach out to their county EMO office.

Batavia company sold and installed its labeling equipment for bottles of hand sanitizer to fight COVID-19

By Billie Owens

Press release:

Batavia-based Marktec Products Inc. recently sold and installed labeling equipment at the NYS Great Meadows Correctional Facility in Comstock to label hand sanitizer being produced there.

This hand sanitizer is supplied to high-risk communities and governmental entities in New York State through County Health Departments.

At the New York State Great Meadow Correctional Facility in Comstock, where hand sanitizer is produced, bottled, labeled and shipped, inmates previously applied labels by hand, which was a slow process and resulted in some labels being applied unevenly.

The containers are now labeled by inmates using three Advent Model 300 one-gallon labelers and one Advent Model 310 small-container labeler, resulting in labeling speeds of up to 20 containers per minute per machine.

Each labeling machine has a small digital ink-jet printer attached to it, to print the batch number and the date on each label.

Marktec Products Inc. is located at 8785 Ag Park Drive. Former Batavia City Councilman William E. Cox is president of the company, which makes automated systems for marking, labeling and packaging.

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