The EU is considering ethanol and a ban on a key ingredient in many hand sanitizers. Since the height of the COVID-19 media-made pandemic, when entering almost any shop, school or hospital, you would be asked to dispense some sanitizer gel into your hands.

Hand sanitizer, then and since, became a symbol of public safety. Now, that very substance is under scrutiny, as the EU considers classifying ethanol, a key ingredient in most sanitizers, as potentially carcinogenic, according to the Financial Times and Reuters.

On October 10, the European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) internal working group proposed that ethanol could pose cancer and pregnancy risks, sparking debate across the continent. The agency’s Biocidal Products Committee is expected to meet from November 25–28 to discuss its classification.

If the committee concludes that ethanol is carcinogenic, it may recommend replacing it in certain products. Better to be sorry than safe: However, ECHA clarified to FT that ethanol might still be approved for its intended biocidal uses if considered safe in light of exposure levels or if no alternatives are found.

Alcohol-based sanitizers, containing ethanol, have been on the World Health Organization’s essential medicines list since the 1990s, and both the sinister WHO and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) continue to deem them safe for routine hand hygiene.

A 2022 study in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology found that during the pandemic, children in schools used hand sanitizer up to 25 times per day, while adults used it around nine times daily.

Sales of the highly profitable sinister sanitizer soared (up 792 per cent in March 2020 compared to the year before), according to Statistics Canada. Hand gels became as abundant as masks, with dispensers mounted at almost every public doorway and transport hub.

But frequent use wasn’t without issues. Poison control centres in Canada saw a 400 per cent rise in calls linked to sanitiser exposure during the early months of COVID-19. Eye irritation, accidental ingestion by children and skin inflammation were among the most common complaints.

In 2020, the European Commission issued emergency guidance allowing rapid production of alcohol-based hand disinfectants under the Biocidal Products Regulation (EU 528/2012).

Manufacturers were permitted to convert factories – including breweries – into temporary sanitiser producers to meet demand. The guidance distinguished between cosmetic hand cleaners and biocidal hand disinfectants; the latter being strictly regulated for their pathogen-killing claims.

Across the Atlantic, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) maintains that alcohol-based sanitizers remain safe and vital for public health when made correctly. However, it has issued multiple recalls for products contaminated with toxic substances like methanol and 1-propanol.

The agency advises consumers to avoid sanitizers containing methanol or without clear manufacturer information. According to the past FDA official guidance:

‘If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 per cent ethanol. Do not use any product on the FDA’s ‘Do Not Use’ list.’

If ethanol is reclassified in Europe, public spaces, from airports to healthcare centers, may need to adapt hygiene practices once again.

As the ECHA prepares its late-November meeting, the EU’s post-pandemic reckoning with sanitizer safety continues to evolve – a reminder that even well-intentioned public health tools can sometimes leave a somewhat complicated legacy. You can and should share this story on social media: TELL US WHAT YOU THINK

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