Health Canada has expanded its list of recalled hand sanitizers
By Caitlin Finlay
We’ve alerted you before to the dangers of using homemade or recalled hand sanitizers, and now Health Canada has updated its roster of recalled products, with more than 50 hand sanitizers now listed.
The newly added hand sanitizers were recalled because they contain unacceptable ingredients, specifically types of industrial-grade ethanol and denaturants. (Denaturants such as dyes are added to ethanol to make it unfit for human consumption.) These ingredients have not been approved for use in Canada and could cause adverse reactions. The potential reactions listed by Health Canada are “dermatitis, such as skin irritation and cracking; eye irritation; upper respiratory system irritation; and headaches.” Should you experience any adverse reactions to a hand sanitizer and are concerned, contact your healthcare professional and notify Health Canada.
To see if your hand sanitizer has been recalled, you can find the entire list here. If you have been using a recalled product, it is recommended that you stop using it and dispose of it properly. To dispose of the product, you can either return it to your local pharmacy or dispose of it according to your municipality’s regulations for hazardous waste disposal.
To reduce the spread of COVID-19, it’s important to wash your hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds. Should soap and water not be available, use an approved alcohol-based hand sanitizer. For an up-to-date list of approved hand sanitizers, you can consult the Health Canada website.
