Filenews 21 October 2025
The EU has been alarmed by an internal recommendation of a working group within the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and is considering the scenario of classifying ethanol as a dangerous substance that increases the risk of cancer, according to a report in the Financial Times. Ethanol is used in many hand sanitizers.
An internal recommendation on October 10 by one of the working groups within the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) identified ethanol as a toxic substance, which increases the risk of cancer and pregnancy complications, stressing the need to replace it in cleaning products and others, according to the FT report.
ECHA's Biocidal Products Committee is due to meet between 25 and 28 November.
The regulator said that if its expert committee "concludes that ethanol is carcinogenic", it will recommend its replacement, the British newspaper notes, adding that the final decision will be made by the Commission.
The European Chemicals Agency told the FT that ethanol may "still be approved for the intended biocidal uses if they are considered safe taking into account the expected levels of exposure or if no alternatives are found", stressing that no decision has yet been made.
The World Health Organization classifies both ethanol and isopropanol as safe for hand hygiene.
