The Trump administration has tightened restrictions on the use of ethanol in hand sanitizer, forcing suppliers of the corn-based alcohol to halt their sales at a time of soaring demand, according to sources and documents seen by Reuters.
The crackdown is meant to protect consumers from potentially dangerous impurities in hand sanitizer but will likely worsen shortages of the product at a time households, hospitals and nursing homes need it to fight the coronavirus outbreak.
On April 15, the FDA issued limits on certain chemicals permitted in alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Reuters reports that since then, the FDA has notified several ethanol companies saying their product does not meet safety standards, forcing them to halt production and cancel supply agreements.
