The European Union is reportedly considering banning the use of ethanol as an active ingredient in biocidal products — including hand sanitisers — due to rising concerns about potential cancer risks, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.
According to the report, an internal recommendation dated 10 October from a working group within the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) identified ethanol as a toxic substance linked to an increased risk of cancer and pregnancy complications, suggesting it should be replaced in cleaning and other related products.
The ECHA’s Biocidal Products Committee is scheduled to convene between 25 and 27 November.
In an emailed statement to Reuters, the ECHA said it was currently assessing ethanol’s suitability for biocidal use. The agency noted that if its expert committee determined ethanol could cause cancer or adversely affect human reproduction, it would recommend substituting the substance.
The ECHA added that evaluations were ongoing and no final conclusions had yet been reached. A definitive decision will be made by the European Commission after the committee issues its scientific opinion.
The World Health Organization continues to classify both ethanol and isopropanol as safe for use in hand hygiene.
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The trial of a 21-year-old accused of planning an Islamist attack at a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna entered its final day on Thursday (28 May), with a verdict expected later in the evening.
The United States launched fresh strikes on Iranian drone targets near Bandar Abbas after intercepting attack drones over the Strait of Hormuz, raising tensions despite an existing ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.
The Islamic Revolution’s Guards Corps of Iran (IRGC) said it carried out a retaliatory attack on a U.S. airbase in the early hours of Thursday. The airbase was used to target a ground control station on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas Airport in Hormuzgan Province, which faces the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. President Donald Trump has publicly endorsed Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan ahead of Armenia’s parliamentary elections on 7 June, backing the leader as the country moves closer to the West and further away from Russia.
Chinese investigators have uncovered hidden tunnels, missing worker trackers and fake underground walls during an initial investigation into the country’s deadliest mining disaster in more than 15 years.
Dozens of people were killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon on Tuesday, Lebanese officials said, straining a fragile ceasefire agreed between the countries in April. The attacks came as Iran accused the U.S. of violating a separate ceasefire with strikes near the Strait of Hormuz.
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