Health Canada has issued a recall for more than 40 brands of hand sanitizer saying they contain industrial-grade ethanol that makes them hazardous if consumed.
The list can be found at https://bit.ly/3jwPwWR. The products were found to contain either ethyl acetate or methanol.
The list, updated Tuesday, refers to particular lot numbers for each type of brand. They can be returned to local pharmacies for proper disposal, the agency says.
A similar list for products found to contain unapproved versions of technical-grade ethanol was updated on Friday. It can be found at https://bit.ly/30DLAep.
In answer shortages of pharmaceutical- and food-grade ethanol, Health Canada has pemitted the temporary use of technical-grade ethanol in alcohol-based hand sanitizers. However, they had to choose from a list of authorized suppliers and have received a no objection letter from Health Canada before manufacturing or distributing the product.
Technical-grade ethanol contains more impurities than pharmaceutical- and food-grade ethanol.
As well, a separate recall list for 23 brands that contain industrial-grade ethanol was updated on Friday. It can be found at https://bit.ly/2CH1Ran.
A list of disinfectants and hand sanitizers accepted by Health Canada under the COVID -19 interim measure is found at https://bit.ly/30GfpuD.
The agency also says the best option is to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. "Use alcohol-based hand sanitizers if soap and water are not available."
