Dollarama recalls bogus hand sanitizer

Dollarama Inc. is removing a counterfeit and recalled hand sanitizer from its shelves, which experts say should serve as a reminder of how important it is for retailers and consumers to do their due diligence when shopping.

"Since coronavirus started, it's just been a huge Wild West of personal protective equipment (PPE)," said Yue Gao, a pharmacist and the quality assurance lead at Ontario-based PPE supplier MedyKits.

"Some people don't realize that this is happening."

Gao's remarks Tuesday came after Health Canada revealed that it had uncovered a counterfeit Daily Shield hand sanitizer for sale at one of Dollarama's Thunder Bay, Ont. with the same lot number as a legitimate Bio Life Sciences Corp. product.

Montreal-based Dollarama said the 250 mL product labelled NPN 80098979, Lot 6942 Expiry May 2023 was available in roughly half the chain's stores and each location sold about 17 bottles, which were removed as soon as Health Canada began investigating.

Health Canada believes the fraudulent version of the product may not be effective at killing bacteria and viruses, and poses serious health risks because it contains methanol. The ingredient is not authorized for use in hand sanitizers and can cause severe adverse reactions or death when ingested.