Special derogation for alcohol-based hand sanitisers set to expire

BioHygiene has welcomed the expiration of a special derogation, put in place at the start of the pandemic, to help increase the availability of hand sanitiser. The derogation, put forward by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), issued critical situation permits that enabled alcohol-based hand gels to forego the normal Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR) requirements for product authorisation – allowing more hand sanitiser to reach end-users.

“Though perhaps necessary in the early days of the pandemic, the HSE has now gathered information from across the industry on the current availability of hand sanitisers and the figures show that the current demand can be met by products supplied under normal BPR requirements,” said Carolyn Jones, technical director at BioHygiene. “Despite the derogation being in the best interest of end-users and the general public, the majority of products that entered the market through this derogation were alcohol-based hand gels. As many individuals have experienced, prolonged use of alcohol-based products can lead to dry and cracked skin. Furthermore, we saw some particularly disturbing stories surrounding high flammability issues. A further downside to the fast-tracking approach is that virgin, non-recycled plastic is often used in the bottling process because it is easily accessible and cheaper. And, with such high volumes being used, the last thing we want is an increased demand for virgin plastics, whilst further contributing to plastic pollution.”

According to the HSE, the temporary derogation does not offer a grace period once ending, and therefore products must be removed from the market with immediate effect after the expiry date.

www.biohygiene.co.uk