Sterilizing COVID-19, MERS, and SARS Viruses? ... Substandard Hand Sanitizing Wipes Distributed

Korea Consumer Agency Finds 7 Out of 19 Products Exceed Effective Ingredient Standards for Sterilization and Disinfection
Some Also Engage in Exaggerated Advertising or Fail to Include Mandatory Precautions

On the 20th, at the Seoul branch of the Korea Consumer Agency in Songpa-gu, the results of a safety survey on hand sanitizing wipes were briefed, and the products surveyed were revealed. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Intern Lee Gyehwa] Park, a worker in his 30s, frequently washes his hands when going out, and when handwashing is not possible, he carries portable hand sanitizing wipes to clean his hands regularly. Hand sanitizing wipes are small in size, and individually packaged products can be carried one by one, making them highly portable and convenient to use anywhere.

The number of people who wash their hands frequently in daily life has increased. This is because personal hygiene became important due to the spread of COVID-19, making frequent handwashing a natural habit. Consumers using disinfectants such as portable hand sanitizing wipes have also increased when washing hands with running water is difficult. According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on the 21st, the production value of external disinfectants such as hand sanitizing wipes was 389 billion KRW in 2020, about 10 times higher than 37.9 billion KRW in 2019 before the spread of COVID-19.

However, it was found that the content of sterilizing and disinfecting active ingredients in some hand sanitizing wipe products exceeded the standard range. According to the Korea Consumer Agency on the 21st, a safety and labeling survey of hand sanitizing wipes sold as quasi-drugs found that among 19 products surveyed, 7 products had ethanol, benzalkonium chloride, and other active ingredient contents that exceeded or fell short of the standard range.

Five products had active ingredient contents below the standard, and two products exceeded the standard. Active ingredients are the main components that indicate the efficacy and effect of hand sanitizing wipes. The content of sterilizing and disinfecting active ingredients must be within 90-110% of the approved content according to the 'Quasi-drug Product Approval, Notification, and Review Regulations.' If the content is insufficient or excessive, the sterilizing and disinfecting effect may decrease.

When the active ingredient content is insufficient, the effect inevitably decreases, but the same result was found even when the content was high. The Korea Consumer Agency explained that if the disinfectant component is above a certain level, it hardens the bacterial cell membrane, making it difficult for the disinfectant to penetrate.

Among the surveyed products, 10 products made advertisements without objective evidence or omitted mandatory information such as usage precautions. Among these, 5 products advertised with unclear objective evidence such as 'disease prevention' and 'infectious virus sterilization.' Under the current Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, quasi-drugs cannot advertise quality and efficacy that cannot be objectively confirmed or have not been confirmed.

If there is no objective test report showing that the hand sanitizing wipes kill bacteria or viruses, such definitive phrases should not be used. Some products advertised sterilization of viruses including 'COVID-19,' 'MERS,' and 'SARS.' However, the active ingredient content of these products was found to be below the standard range. Five products also failed to include mandatory information such as expiration dates or usage precautions.

Fortunately, methanol, a harmful chemical that can cause optic nerve damage, was not detected in this survey. The Korea Consumer Agency advised caution when purchasing hand sanitizing products that emphasize effects related to diseases beyond disinfection, as there is a high possibility of exaggerated advertising. They emphasized checking details such as expiration dates carefully before purchase and warned to avoid direct contact of disinfectant components with sensitive areas such as eyes, mouth, mucous membranes, or wounded areas. Professor Lee Eunhee of Inha University (Department of Consumer Studies) advised, "When unclear facts are advertised, consumers become confused," and suggested, "It is necessary to investigate whether hand sanitizing wipe manufacturers have violated the Fair Labeling and Advertising Act."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.