5 hand sanitizers added to Health Canada's evolving recall list

Five more hand sanitizers wereadded to Health Canada's evolving recall list on Tuesday, which now includes more than 100 productsthat may pose health risks.

The newestrecalled hand sanitizers are:

• Last Best Brewing and Distilling Hand Sanitizerfrom Last Best Brewery (Calgary)
• Nomad Hand Sanitizer (Lemongrass) from Rocky Mountain Soap Company (Canmore, Alta.)
• Purify Hand Sanitizer and Antibacterial Spray from Prairie Potions (Winnipeg)
• Gel d'alcool pour les mains avec mollients, 70% alcool thylique en format de 250 mL from Sanix(Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.)
• Gel d'alcool pour les mains avec mollients, 70% alcool thylique en format de 4 L from Sanix(Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.)

The productswere recalled either for containingtechnical-grade ethanol without authorization, containing methanolor missing risk statements.

Health Canada said if you own any of the recalled productson the list, you should immediately stop using them and consult a health care professional if you have used them and have any concerns. Anyadverse eventsorcomplaintscan be reported to Health Canada.

The COVID-19 pandemic created high demand for hand sanitizers. Health Canada said in June that it permitted the temporary use of technical grade ethanol if manufacturers chose an authorized supplierand obtained Health Canada's permission first.

Technical grade ethanolcontains more impurities thanpharmaceutical or food grade ethanol, so it requires a warning that the products are only for adults, not for those pregnant or breastfeedingand shouldn't be inhaled or used on damaged skin.

Some of the products also used unauthorized denaturants, like methanol, which are added to ethanol to make it taste bad and discourage someone from intentionally or unintentionally ingesting hand sanitizer.Reactions to frequent use of a hand sanitizer containing methanol could cause dermatitis, eye irritation, upper respiratory system irritation and headaches.

When washing hands with soap and water isn't an option, Health Canada suggests checking its list ofhand sanitizers that have been authorized for sale in Canada.