EU weighs ban on ethanol used in hand sanitisers over cancer fears: Financial Times
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A medical team administers hand sanitiser to a resident of the Basque town of Azpeitia, Spain.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BRUSSELS - The EU is considering classifying ethanol, an ingredient used in many hand sanitisers, as a dangerous substance that increases the risk of cancer, the Financial Times reported on Oct 21.
An internal recommendation on Oct 10 by one of the working groups within the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) flagged ethanol as a toxic substance, which increased the risk of cancer and pregnancy complications, the FT said, and needed to be replaced in cleaning and other products.
The ECHA’s Biocidal Products Committee is set to meet between Nov 25 and 28.
The ECHA told Reuters in an emailed statement that the regulator was currently assessing ethanol for biocidal use.
The regulator said that if its expert committee “concludes that ethanol is carcinogenic”, it would recommend its substitution.
It added that assessments were still ongoing and no conclusions had been made.
The final decision will be taken by the European Commission following the committee’s scientific opinion.
The World Health Organisation classifies both ethanol and isopropanol as safe to use for hand hygiene. REUTERS
