Hand sanitiser brand removed from biocidal register by department

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has removed the ViraPro hand sanitiser brand from the Biocidal Product Register.

The product has been found to have “possible health concerns”, and members of the public are advised to “stop using this sanitiser with immediate effect”.

Tests by the department 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 contains methanol rather than ethanol, the department said. Prolonged use of such sanitiser may cause dermatitis, eye irritation, upper respiratory system irritation and headaches.

This 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.

A department investigation into this matter is ongoing.

IRC research strand

In other department-related news, a programme operated by the Irish Research Council (IRC) will be open to businesses in the agri-food sector.

Martin Heydon, the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with responsibility for research and development, has launched a ‘strand’ for the agri-food sector under the IRC’s COALESCE Programme.

The COALESCE Programme is designed to provide businesses with “support to engage with research and develop innovative solutions”.