Citation

Nicol AM. Environ. Health Rev. 2021; 64(1): 6-10.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors)

DOI

10.5864/d2021-005

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) promoted public health measures such as increased hand hygiene to help reduce viral transmission. Although a simple action, regular hand washing is considered a primary strategy for stopping the spread of infectious agents. When soap and water are not available or practical, hand sanitizers are a useful alternative. Proper handling of these products is important, and in the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health developed a poster and a blog post to orient people to safety issues associated with the use of these products.

Canadian consumers were quick to respond to hand hygiene recommendations. Statistics Canada conducted a series of surveys on personal care item sales during the first few months of the pandemic and found that compared to sales in 2020, there was a dramatic increase in hand sanitizer sales. By March of 2020, sales of these products were up 800% from the year prior. The surge in hand sanitizer sales eclipsed other highly sought-after personal care items such as toilet paper.

The unprecedented early demand for hand sanitizer meant that shortages quickly ensued. This led some people to consider making hand sanitizer at home. Health Canada and others, such as prominent vodka distillers, discouraged this practice because do-it-yourself products were likely to be ineffective or even lead to hazardous exposures.

Language: en