Analyses of Commercially Available Alcohol-Based Hand Rubs Formulated with Compliant and Non-Compliant Ethanol

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic led to panic-buying of alcohol-based hand rubs (ABHRs). In response, governmental agencies (e.g., Health Canada) permitted the sale of ABHRs formulated with “technical-grade” ethanol to alleviate the growing demand. Technical-grade ethanol contains elevated concentrations of impurities (e.g., acetaldehyde, etc.), which may exhibit dose-dependent toxicity. In this study, a rapid solvent extraction was employed to analyze gelled ABHRs via gas chromatography with flame ionization detection. In total, 26 liquid and 16 gelled ABHRs were analyzed for nine common impurities to determine compliance with Health Canada interim guidelines. Of 42 samples analyzed, 11 ABHRs appear to be non-compliant with interim Health Canada guidelines. Non-compliant ABHRs exhibited elevated concentrations of acetaldehyde, with a maximal concentration observed of 251 ± 10 µL L−1; 3.3× higher than currently permitted. Nonetheless, frequent testing of ABHRs should be routinely conducted to reduce the risk of consumer exposure to non-compliant ABHRs.

Quality of Alcohol Based Hand Sanitizers Marketed in the Nairobi Metropolis

“…Other contaminants encountered were ethyl acetate, isobutanol, 1-propanol and 3-methyl-butanol [19]. In contradistinction, a Canadian study, found that all samples analyzed except one complied with alcohol content and methanol limits while 26 % did not comply with acetaldehyde levels [14].…”

“…Ideally, methanol content is determined by spectrophotometry or gas chromatography techniques [13]. Low quality raw materials may contribute to unacceptable impurity profiles in the final product with respect to contaminants which in addition to methanol may include benzene, acetaldehyde, acetal and ethyl acetate [14][15][16][17]. Thus, the use of specific methods is necessary in ABHS analysis to accurately determine alcohol content, purity and exclude substitution or contamination with non-permitted alcohols.…”

Occurrence of and dermal exposure to benzene, toluene and styrene found in hand sanitizers from the United States

“…Due to the heavy demand for hand sanitizers coupled with shortages of raw materials such as ethanol, use of industrial-grade alcohols was permitted interim in many countries. Hand sanitizer manufacturers used different feedstock that affected the quality of the end products and the type of impurities they contain ( Tse et al, 2021 ). Besides methanol and acetaldehyde, some volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene have been found in hand sanitizers ( Valisure, 2021 ).…”

Study of some alcohol amounts in commercial alcoholic disinfectant solutions using gas chromatography with flame ionization detection

“…This is mainly because alcoholic products are more powerful and compatible, faster to be applied, and cause fewer skin problems [1,2]. Alcoholic hand rub contains mainly ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, or their combinations [3]. The use of alcohol for hand disinfection has received much attention in the community.…”