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23rd Oct 2020

Recall issued on hand sanitiser used in Irish schools due to public health concerns

Conor Heneghan

hand sanitiser schools

Schools have been told they can close for the day today if they deem it necessary to do so.

A hand sanitiser used in schools throughout the country has been recalled due to possible health concerns, including the potential to cause dermatitis, eye irritation, upper respiratory system irritation and headaches.

The Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine issued a product recall notice on ViraPro hand sanitiser (PCS100409) on Thursday night.

This supplier of the product was one of 11 suppliers on the multi supplier framework for PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) for education settings in Ireland.

Tests by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine show that some of the sanitiser on sale does not comply with regulations governing the content and efficacy of such products.

Some of the product in question, the Department said in a statement, contains methanol rather than ethanol and that prolonged use may cause dermatitis, eye irritation, upper respiratory system irritation and headaches.

As a result, it has been deemed that the product may not remain on the market or be made available for use.

The company involved has been instructed by the Department to initiate an immediate recall of all product and members of the public have been advised to stop using the sanitiser with immediate effect.

A Department investigation into the matter is ongoing.

In a statement late on Thursday night, the Department of Education said it is informing all schools of the need to check whether they have used this supplier and have stocks of this product and if so, that they should cease using it immediately.

On Friday 23 October, the Department said, schools that are impacted can make local arrangements to purchase stocks of hand sanitiser and can maximise the use of hand washing to support necessary hand hygiene.

If an affected school judges it necessary to do so, they can choose to close for the day or close early today.

The Department of Education said that if a school is having difficulty sourcing replacement hand sanitiser, they should contact the Department on the Covid -19 helpline and email address supplied to schools.

Additional funding will be provided to schools to enable them to purchase the necessary supplies from an alternative supplier.