Advisory - Recall of Daily Shield Hand Sanitizers across Canada

OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 28, 2020 /CNW/ -

Summary
Product: All Daily Shield Hand Sanitizers

Issue: Bio Life Sciences Corp. / 10932540 Canada Inc. is recalling all Daily Shield hand sanitizers from retail locations across Canada, due to the presence of methanol, which may cause serious health issues, effective immediately.

What to do: If you purchased this product, stop using it immediately. Consult your health care provider if you have used this product and have any health or safety concerns. Keep all hand sanitizers out of the reach of children. If swallowed, call a poison control centre or seek medical help immediately. Report any adverse health event or product complaint to Health Canada.

Bio Life Sciences Corp. (Bio Life) is recalling all Daily Shield hand sanitizers from retail locations across Canada, effective immediately.

Upon further investigation, Health Canada has determined that Daily Shield hand sanitizer labelled with NPN 80098979, Lot 6942, Expiry May 2023, is not a counterfeit product as initially communicated on October 18, 2020, based on new information provided to Health Canada by Bio Life. The product may have been sold at retailers other than Dollarama, and Health Canada is working to verify that it is no longer being sold by any distributors or retailers.

Testing of Daily Shield hand sanitizer confirmed the presence of methanol, which is not authorized for use in hand sanitizers and can cause serious health issues. Frequent use of hand sanitizer containing methanol may cause dermatitis, eye irritation, upper respiratory system irritation and headaches. If ingested, methanol can cause severe, even deadly adverse reactions. As a result, Health Canada directed Bio Life to stop selling and recall all Daily Shield hand sanitizers immediately.

In addition, testing also confirmed that the ethanol content of the Daily Shield hand sanitizer is less than the recommended amount, and this product is therefore not likely to provide effective hand sanitizing functions, such as killing germs and bacteria.  

Health Canada also identified that Bio Life had a number Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) violations, including poor record keeping, lack of control of inventory, and lack of finished product testing.

As a result, Health Canada directed the company to stop all licensable activities. All product licences held by the firm have been suspended and an intent to revoke the COVID-19 site licence has been issued. Health Canada is continuing to follow up on Bio Life's other products to determine if other action is needed.

List of Products Licensed to Bio Life Sciences Corp. / 10932540 Canada Inc. – Suspended

Health Canada encourages consumers to always read and follow the directions on product labels. Hand sanitizers are for external use only and should never be ingested, as even small amounts can be dangerous or fatal.

Health Canada will continue to monitor the situation and update its hand sanitizer recall webpage should any additional recalls be necessary.

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SOURCE Health Canada