With hand sanitizers on the frontline of defense against the coronavirus, you wouldn’t expect to be told not to use one, but the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development on Friday issued a Stop-Use and Stop-Removal Order for the Vlanc+Piür brand of hand sanitizer saying that they do not protect the public and do not comply with the standards in the Michigan Weights and Measures Act, 1964 Public Act 283.
The Stop-Use and Stop-Removal Orders prohibit the sale, offering for sale, or use of hand sanitizers sold as Vlanc+Piür hand sanitizer stating, ‘Formulated with 70 percent of alcohol with aloe and glycerin.’ The state has issued an advisory that those products should no longer be used, should immediately be removed from store shelves or other product displays, and should no longer be offered for sale.
Craig VanBuren, MDARD’s Laboratory Division Director, says, “Hand sanitizers have become one of the critical tools for preventing COVID-19. They must have a minimum of 70-percent isopropyl alcohol or 60 percent ethyl alcohol to be considered effective,” and adds, “Working to ensure that Michiganders are getting what they pay for is a hallmark of consumer protection. It’s especially vital right now for MDARD to be conducting marketplace sampling of hand sanitizers.”
As part of a marketplace investigation, MDARD discovered those particular hand sanitizers do not meet the labeled alcohol content, a key ingredient in effective hand sanitizer. The Vlanc+Piür brand stated it contained the 70-percent ethyl alcohol; however, MDARD testing confirmed it contained less than 60-percent. The department’s Weights and Measures section is also currently conducting additional sampling of various hand sanitizers to ensure they meet the minimum criteria to protect public health.
Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Chief Medical Executive and Chief Deputy for Health, says, “Michiganders who have been using Vlanc+Piür brand hand sanitizer to help protect themselves from COVID-19 should monitor their health closely and seek testing if they develop symptoms of the virus,” and notes, “These include signs of respiratory illness such as cough, fever and shortness of breath or other symptoms such as fatigue, headache, new loss of smell or taste, nausea or vomiting.”
The Stop-Use and Stop-Removal Orders means no Vlanc+Piür brand hand sanitizers can be sold or used in the State of Michigan effective September 11, 2020. The products may be returned to the place of purchase or properly disposed of in accordance with local ordinances. Consumers can visit http://www.michigan.gov/mdard for photos of the product labels.
The photo accompanying this story on Moody on the Market is for illustration purposes only and does not depict the actual product in question.
