EU weighs ban on ethanol used in hand sanitisers over cancer fears, FT reports

The EU is weighing a ban on the usage of ethanol as an active ingredient in biocidal products, including hand sanitizers, over increasing risks of cancer, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday. 

An internal recommendation on October 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 and needed to be replaced in cleaning and other products, the FT said.

The ECHA's Biocidal Products Committee is set to meet between November 25 and November 28.

The ECHA told Reuters in an emailed statement that the regulator was currently assessing ethanol for biocidal use.

The regulator said if its expert committee concluded that ethanol had the potential to cause cancer or harm human reproduction, 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 Organization classifies both ethanol and isopropanol as safe to use for hand hygiene.

Reuters