KATHMANDU : The Department of Drug Administration has banned nine different hand sanitizers produced by Nepali and Indian companies.
The Department has collected the sample of hand sanitizers kept for sale in the market and banned its production and sale after the chemical methanol was found in the hand sanitizers when being tested at the National Medicine Lab.
62 percent methanol was found in a Herbal Tree Hand Rub produced by Civika Cosmeceuticals Limited in Uttarakhand. Similarly, methanol and ethanol were found mixed in hand sanitizers such as Kum Hand sanitizer, Clean Hand Sanitizer, repacked by R Chemical and Packaging Industries Parsa, and Kumkum Instant Hand Sanitizer and Instant Hand sanitizer of Kumkum Herbal Industries.
Methanol and ethanol are harmful to human health. Likewise, the production of hand sanitizers of Instant Hand sanitizer of Om Arogya Healthcare Pvt Ltd, Sadhana Instant Hand sanitizer of Sadhana Suppliers Kathmandu, Drone Hand Sanitizer (yellow) and two colourless hand sanitizer of Kalika Soap and Chemical Industries has also been banned, said Director General of the Department, Narayan Prasad Dhakal.
Urging people not to use the hand sanitizers of these companies, Dhakal said that they have directed the companies to stop its sale and recall their products from the market immediately.
