Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
Health Canada has announced the recall of more hand sanitizers, adding 18 more products to their list because of issues such as containing ingredients not allowed by Health Canada or not being authorized for sale in Canada.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, hand sanitizer sales and production have gone up, and Health Canada has issued recalls for almost 100 products previously.
In this update, posted by Health Canada on Tuesday, the agency stated that hand sanitizers are not permitted to contain “unacceptable grades of ethanol, undeclared impurities at elevated levels, or unauthorized denaturants have not been reviewed for safety or efficacy.”
Denaturant help prevent the ethanol from being consumed for alcohol content.
Two denaturants that are not permitted in hand sanitizers sold in Canada are ethyl acetate and methanol. Ethyl acetate may contribute to dry skin and irritation with frequent use, and methanol can cause more serious “dermatitis, eye irritation, upper respiratory system irritation and headaches.”
Some of the sanitizers included in this recall that contained ethyl acetate are Aerochem Liquid Hand Cleaner 70% Alcohol, JP Wiser’s Distillery, KeraSpa, Premium Hand Gel Sanitizer and Umbrell (60 mL format).
The recalling company for JP Wiser’s Distillery is Hiram Walk & Sons Distillery, a distillery in Ontario, that started to produce hand sanitizer last year to help out during the pandemic.
They aren’t the first distillery that produced hand sanitizer to end up on the recall list -- two distilleries in B.C. have also had products recalled in previous recalls posted by Health Canada.
Another reason that hand sanitizers can end up on the recall list is if they include undeclared impurities at high levels, such as acetaldehyde and benzene. If found at elevated levels, both can increase the risk of cancer if frequently applied over a long period of time, and benzene can cause “drowsiness, dizziness, rapid or irregular heartbeat, and headaches.”
Hand sanitizers including acetaldehyde at elevated levels in this recall are Gigi's Goodbye Germs Hand Sanitizer, Natural Concepts Sanitizing Gel and Peak Processing Solutions - Ethanol sanitizer 80%.
Because of the increase in demand for hand sanitizers, Health Canada did decide to permit hand sanitizers to use technical-grade ethanol, which was previously not intended for hand sanitizer. But those who use this must clearly label the product as containing this, purchase the ethanol from a select list of Health Canada authorized sellers, and include warnings for customers including to not use it on broken skin. Failure to follow this can also result in a recall.
Some of the new products on the recall list are also improperly labelled or not authorized to be sold in Canada.
This is the full list of the hand sanitizers affected in this recall:
A full list of the lot numbers for each product affected by the recall is listed on Health Canada’s website, along with full details for the reason behind the recall of each product.
Health Canada is advising consumers to cease using these products, and has directed the companies to cease producing them.
If you have used a product listed here and have health concerns, Health Canada asks that you direct questions to your health care provider.
The list of previously recalled hand sanitizers can be found here, and a list of hand sanitizers that are authorized by Health Canada can be found here.
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
A first-of-its-kind Canadian research study is working towards a major medical breakthrough for a brain disorder, believed to be caused by repeated head injuries, that can only be detected after death.
In March, Indonesian officials and local fishermen rescued 75 people from the overturned hull of a boat off the coast of Indonesia. Until now, little was known about why the boat capsized.
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Whether passionate about Poirot or hungry for Holmes, Winnipeg mystery obsessives have had a local haunt for over 30 years in which to search out their latest page-turners.
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A mother goose and her goslings caused a bit of a traffic jam on a busy stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Vancouver Saturday.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.