Health Canada issues warning after fake hand sanitizer sold at Dollarama

On Monday, Health Canada issued a warning to Canadians of a counterfeit hand sanitizer being sold at Dollarama locations across the country.

A counterfeit version of Daily Shield hand sanitizer has been found for sale at a Dollarama store in Thunder Bay, according to Health Canada in a statement.

“The counterfeit version is labelled with NPN 80098979, Lot 6942; Expiry May 2023 and is sold in a 250 mL format,” said Health Canada.

“As the counterfeit version of Daily Shield hand sanitizer is unauthorized and made with an unknown formulation, it may not be effective at killing bacteria and viruses, and may pose serious risks to health.”

According to the statement, the counterfeit product is suspected to contain methanol, which, according to officials, is not authorized for use in hand sanitizers and has the potential to cause severe reactions or even death when ingested.

Health Canada

“Counterfeit products are fraudulent versions of authentic products and may be harmful if used or consumed. Counterfeit products may contain ingredients not listed on the label, dangerous additives or other contaminants,” said officials.

“In addition, they may not contain the active ingredients that Canadians would expect them to contain.”

Dollarama has agreed to stop selling the Daily Shield hand sanitizer in its stores.

Health Canada

Health Canada will continue to investigate the issue and advises Canadians what they should do if they have the counterfeit item such as consulting your healthcare practitioner if you have used this product and have concerns regarding your health, keeping all hand sanitizers out of the reach of children, calling poison control if it has been swallowed, and reporting any “adverse events or complaints” to Health Canada.