The European Union is considering classifying ethanol as a potentially hazardous substance that increases the risk of cancer and complications during pregnancy. This is reported by the Financial Times.
If such a decision is made, it will effectively ban many hand sanitizers and cleaning agents used in hospitals.
Currently, alcohol-based antiseptics are considered safe and have been on the World Health Organization's list of essential medicines since the 1990s.
On October 10, one of the working groups of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) published an internal recommendation, stating that ethanol is a toxic substance that increases the risk of cancer and complications during pregnancy.
The issue will be finally reviewed at the ECHA Biocidal Products Committee meeting from November 24-27, after which recommendations will be sent to the European Commission, which will make the final decision.
Representatives from the medical field have already expressed concern, as ethanol-based antiseptics prevent about 16 million infections annually. They note that the alternative to ethanol, isopropanol, is considered even more toxic.
Additionally, they argue that using only soap and water takes more time and harms the skin of medical professionals.
ECHA clarified that even if ethanol is recognized as carcinogenic, it may still be permitted for certain biocidal uses if exposure is deemed safe or no alternatives are found.
