Hand Soap Linked to Deadly Sepsis Nationwide

Federal health officials are warning Americans to stop using certain hand soaps and sanitizers after a dangerous bacteria — capable of causing life-threatening infections — was found in popular products sold nationwide.

On August 8, New Jersey–based DermaRite Industries LLC issued a voluntary recall of more than a dozen over-the-counter soaps and antiseptics, including:

• DermaKleen lotion soaps
• PeriGiene antiseptic
• KleenFoam soap

These products were distributed to retailers and healthcare providers across the United States and Puerto Rico.

According to the company, tests detected Burkholderia cepacia, a bacteria found in water and soil that can spread between people and is notoriously resistant to antibiotics.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that B. cepacia can cause fever, fatigue, and — in vulnerable patients — deadly bloodstream infections known as sepsis.

“In healthy individuals with minor skin lesions, the use of the product will more likely result in local infections,” DermaRite explained. “In immunocompromised individuals, the infection is more likely to spread into the bloodstream, leading to life-threatening sepsis.”

Doctors say cancer patients, transplant recipients, and people with chronic illnesses face the highest danger. But public health experts caution that no one should ignore the recall.

“This is not a bug you want in your body,” said Dr. Karen Mills, an infectious disease specialist in Chicago. “Even healthy people can get seriously ill if it gets into the bloodstream.”

As of the recall date, DermaRite reported no confirmed cases linked to the products. Still, the company has urged distributors, healthcare facilities, and consumers to immediately stop using them.

Lot numbers and brand names are printed on bottles and packaging, and customers can check the FDA’s website for the full list of affected products.

Anyone with questions can email voluntary.action@dermarite.com. The FDA advises that anyone experiencing symptoms after use should contact their doctor and report the issue through the agency’s MedWatch program.

This is the latest in a string of consumer product recalls tied to bacterial contamination — a problem health experts say has been increasing due to global supply chain issues and lax oversight of manufacturing facilities.

“Once bacteria like this gets into a production system, it can be incredibly difficult to eradicate without halting everything,” said Mills. “That’s why recalls like this are taken so seriously.”