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ARCHIVED - Recall of certain hand sanitizers that may pose health risks
- Starting date:
- June 17, 2020
- Posting date:
- July 10, 2020
- Type of communication:
- Advisory
- Subcategory:
- Natural health products
- Source of recall:
- Health Canada
- Issue:
- Product Safety
- Audience:
- General Public
- Identification number:
- RA-73527
Last updated: 2020-08-04
Summary
- Product: Certain hand sanitizers made with industrial-grade ethanol, a grade of ethanol not authorized for use in hand sanitizers.
- Issue: Health Canada is advising Canadians that certain hand sanitizers are being recalled from the market because they contain industrial-grade ethanol that has not been authorized for use in hand sanitizers in Canada.
- What to do: Stop using these products. Consult your healthcare professional if you have used any of these products and have health concerns. Report any health product adverse events or complaints to Health Canada. See the additional information on buying health products safely in the links below.
- Issue
- What you should do
- Background
- Affected products
- Media enquiries
- Public enquiries
- What Health Canada is doing
**This page has been archived. Please click on the following link for the latest information on recalled hand sanitizer.**
Issue
Health Canada is advising Canadians that certain hand sanitizers are being recalled from the market because they contain industrial-grade ethanol that has not been authorized for use in hand sanitizers in Canada.
Industrial-grade ethanol contains impurities that are not found in the types of ethanol approved for use in hand sanitizers, such as pharmaceutical-grade, food-grade or technical-grade ethanol. Since industrial-grade ethanol has not been approved for use in hand sanitizers in Canada, the Department has not reviewed it for safety or efficacy. Multiple types of unauthorized industrial-grade ethanol have been found in hand sanitizer products. Possible adverse reactions may include dermatitis, such as skin irritation and cracking; eye irritation; upper respiratory system irritation; and headaches.
Health Canada will update this list if it becomes aware of other affected products, so that Canadians can easily identify ones they may have purchased and take appropriate action. Canadians are encouraged to consult the list regularly for updates.
What you should do
- Stop using the products listed below. Please follow municipal or regional guidelines on how to dispose of chemicals and other hazardous waste. You may also return the product to your local pharmacy for proper disposal.
- Consult your healthcare professional if you have used these products and have health concerns.
- To help limit the spread of COVID-19, 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.
- Use hand sanitizers that have been authorized for sale in Canada. Hand sanitizers that have been authorized will display either a Natural Product Number (NPN) or Drug Identification Number (DIN) on the product label. These products can be found on the list of hand sanitizers that meet Health Canada's requirements.
- Consult the list of hand sanitizers authorized or registered in other jurisdictions that may not display an NPN or DIN but have been accepted for use in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. This list of accepted products can be found here.
- Report any health product adverse events or complaints to Health Canada.
Background
Ethyl acetate: Frequent use of hand sanitizer containing ethyl acetate may cause dry skin, leading to irritation or cracking.
Methanol: Frequent use of hand sanitizer containing methanol may cause dermatitis, eye irritation, upper respiratory system irritation, and headaches.
Affected products
Certain hand sanitizers that may pose health risks
Product description
Please note that the products in the following table are listed alphabetically, rather than by the date they were added.
| Product | Contaminant | Recalling Company | NPN or DIN | Lot numbers | Expiry Date | Date Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Adclean (Technical) |
Ethyl Acetate |
Adfast Canada Inc. |
80098241 |
200423-114854 |
April 2022 |
July 10, 2020 |
|
200505-114929 |
May 2022 |
|||||
|
Aktif Antiseptique instantané pour les mains |
Ethyl acetate |
Laboratoire Hygienex Inc. |
80098088 |
189665189574 |
May 16, 2022 |
June 10, 2020 |
|
Biogel |
Ethyl acetate |
Groupe Savon Olympics, Inc. |
80098684 |
0D991 |
April 2022 |
July 3, 2020 |
|
Dash Vapes Hand Sanitizer |
Ethyl acetate |
DashVapes Inc. |
Unlicensed (no NPN or DIN on label) |
1258969 |
April 10, 2021 |
June 11, 2020 |
|
Eltraderm Hand Sanitizer - 70% Ethyl Alcohol |
Ethyl acetate |
Eltraderm Limited |
80098540 |
0217 |
April 2022 |
June 6, 2020 |
|
eSafe |
Methanol |
Groupe Enov, Inc. |
Unlicensed (no NPN or DIN on label) |
20-115 |
April 2021 |
July 3, 2020 |
|
20-125 |
May 2021 |
|||||
|
Frid + Russell Hand Sanitizer |
Ethyl acetate |
Green Dolphin Systems Corp. |
Unlicensed (no NPN or DIN on label) |
All. Lot number not printed on the label. |
Not printed on the label. |
July 10, 2020 |
|
Gel 700 Hand Sanitizer |
Ethyl acetate |
Nature's Own Cosmetic Company Inc. |
80100166 |
118 mL format
236 mL format
3785 mL format |
May 2022 |
June 9, 2020 |
|
Gel 700 Hand Sanitizer |
Methanol; ethyl acetate |
Nature's Own Cosmetics Company |
80100166 |
L00420003 |
April 2022 |
June 17, 2020 |
|
L00512004 |
May 2022 |
|||||
|
Gel Antiseptique Pour Les Mains |
Ethyl acetate |
Mégalab Inc. |
80015567 |
5135 |
March 2022 |
June 22, 2020 |
|
Germ Eliminator |
Methanol |
677042 Ontario Ltd. (DBA Donview Manufacturing) |
80101737 |
150301 |
December 2020 |
July 10, 2020 |
|
150302 |
||||||
|
Germ Eliminator |
Ethyl acetate |
677042 Ontario Ltd. (DBA Donview Manufacturing) |
80101737 |
150304 |
December 2023 |
July 10, 2020 |
|
Germzero |
Ethyl acetate |
Flash Beauté Inc. |
80099604 |
243601 |
November 2022 |
June 22, 2020 |
|
Hand Sanitizer |
Ethyl acetate |
Contract Packaging Distributions Inc. |
80098453 |
8613026 |
April 2022 |
June 6, 2020 |
|
Hand Sanitizer Alco-San |
Ethyl acetate |
Crown Chemical Products, Inc. |
Unlicensed (no NPN or DIN on label) |
03130 |
Not printed on the label |
June 30, 2020 |
|
51420-21 |
July 3, 2020 |
|||||
|
Hand Sanitizer |
Ethyl acetate |
Walker Emulsions Ltd. |
80100040 |
210061 |
Not printed on the label |
June 6, 2020 |
|
Healthcare Plus Sanitizing Hand Gel |
Ethyl acetate |
The Color Group, Division of Canadian Custom Packaging |
80002430 |
024002 |
April 2022 |
June 30, 2020 |
|
Isogel |
Ethyl acetate |
Lalema Inc. |
80098996 |
5900 0004 |
May 13, 2021 |
June 11, 2020 |
|
Manogel |
Methanol |
Constant America |
80098846 |
04291 |
March 2022 |
July 3, 2020 |
|
Protectenol Hand Sanitizer Liquid |
Ethyl acetate |
Applied Lubrication Technology |
80098373 |
20-070 |
Not printed on the label |
June 10, 2020 |
|
Sanilabs Hand Sanitizer 70% Ethanol |
Ethyl acetate |
Sanilabs Inc. |
80098769 |
6069 |
April 20, 2022 |
June 6, 2020 |
|
6075 |
April 28, 2022 |
|||||
|
Sanitagel |
Methanol |
Jefo Nutrition, Inc. |
80098567 |
07820R414 |
March 2021 |
July 3, 2020 |
|
09020R414 |
April 2021 |
|||||
|
Smart Care |
Ethyl acetate |
R&D Technical Solutions Ltd. |
80099110 |
005154 |
May 2022 |
June 10, 2020 |
|
Tekare Instant Hand Cleanser Gel |
Ethyl acetate |
TEKPolymer Inc. |
Unlicensed (no NPN or DIN on the label) |
HG200320 (not printed on the label) |
April 2023 |
June 22, 2020 |
|
Tidol Hand Sanitizer 70% |
Ethyl acetate |
Tidol Corporation |
80099632 |
7080 |
April 2022 |
June 10, 2020 |
|
Vima-San |
Ethyl acetate |
Crown Chemical Products, Inc. |
Unlicensed (no NPN or DIN on label) |
02200 |
Not printed on the label |
June 30, 2020 |
|
Vima-San Hand Sanitizer |
Ethyl acetate |
Green Dolphin Systems Corp. |
Unlicensed (no NPN or DIN on label) |
All. Lot number not printed on the label. |
Not printed on the label |
July 10, 2020 |
|
Vitalpur |
Ethyl acetate |
Laboratoire Capillaire Guy Décaux |
80100023 |
1 |
Not printed on the label |
July 10, 2020 |
|
Walker Emulsions Hand Sanitizer |
Ethyl acetate |
Walker Emulsions Ltd. |
80098678 |
209638 |
Not printed on the label |
June 6, 2020 |
|
X-Pure Vert-2-Go Gel |
Ethyl acetate |
Wood Wyant Inc. |
80013648 |
109832 |
April 2022 |
June 10, 2020 |
Note that a previous version of this advisory was posted on June 6, 2020. This revised version contains updated information about the different impurities found in certain hand sanitizers and their associated risks.
Media enquiries
Health Canada
(613) 957-2983
hc.media.sc@canada.ca
Public enquiries
(613) 957-2991
1-866 225-0709
hcinfo.infosc@canada.ca
What Health Canada is doing
- Health Canada has directed companies to stop the sale of these products and is monitoring the effectiveness of the recalls.
- If Health Canada identifies additional products or manufacturers using ethanol that does not meet Health Canada requirements, the Department will take appropriate action and inform Canadians, including updating this list.