Health Canada is recalling more hand sanitizer containing harsh chemicals like industrial-grade ethanol.
Yesterday, Gel Antiseptique Pour Les Mains, made by Megalab Inc., Germzero, made by Flash Beaute Inc., and Tekare Instant Hand Cleanser Gel, made by TEKPolymer Inc. were added to the list. The contaminant in these products is ethyl acetate.
According to Health Canada, industrial-grade ethanol is harsher than the type of ethanol that has been approved for use in hand sanitizers in Canada. Industrial-grade ethanol also could contain extra chemicals not suited for use in hand sanitizers.
Spencer Day at Brandon’s Progressive Westman, which manufactures hand sanitizer in Neepawa at the Farmery, says their product only contains two approved ingredients: ethanol and glycerine. He believes in the early stages of COVID-19 there was a rush to get hand sanitizers onto the market – and now several months in Health Canada is tightening the ropes and eliminating brands that contain these harsher chemicals.
A list of hand sanitizers approved for sale in Canada, as well as a list of similar products that have been accepted under COVID-19 interim measures can be found on Health Canada’s website.
If you bought any of the recalled products, Health Canada recommends you stop using them at once. Over-use could cause cracked skin and irritation.
If you have any health concerns about your use of these products, contact your health-care provider. You can return the hand sanitizer to your local pharmacy for proper disposal, or follow the guidelines in your region for properly disposing of hazardous waste.
The products listed in previous recalls on June 6th, June 10th and June 11th are:
-Protectenol Hand Sanitizer Liquid, made by Applied Lubrication Technology
-Tidol Hand Sanitizer 70%, made by Tidol Corporation
-Aktif Antiseptique instantane pour les mains, made by Laboratoire Hygienex Inc.
-Smart Care Hand Sanitizer, made by R&D Technical Solutions Ltd.
-X-Pure Vert-2-Go Gel, Wood Wyant Inc.
-Eltraderm Hand Sanitizer – 70% Ethyl Alcohol, made by Eltraderm Limited
-Hand Sanitizer, made by Contract Packaging Distributions Inc.
-Gel 700 Hand Sanitizer, made by Nature’s Own Cosmetic Company Inc.
-Sanilabs Hand Sanitizer 70% Ethanol, made by Sanilabs Inc.
-Walker Emulsions Hand Sanitizer, made by Walker Emulsions Ltd.
-Hand Sanitizer Desinfectant pour les mains, made by Walker Emulsions Ltd.
-Dash Vapes Hand Sanitizer, made by DashVapes Inc.
-Isogel, made by Lalema Inc.
More information can be found at the link below.
