October 21, 2025 3:34 PM
EU considers banning ethanol in hand sanitizers over cancer risk concerns
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 Bioci...