Nova Scotia, Canada school system Bans Alcohol Hand Sanitizers

Fire fears in N.S. spark sanitizer ban
Last Updated: Tuesday, September 1, 2009 | 6:27 PM AT
CBC News

There won't be hand sanitizer at dozens of Nova Scotia schools this fall because of fears it could be used to start fires.

The Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board has decided not to use hand sanitizers to combat the swine flu virus.

Stephanie Campbell, principal of Brookside Elementary School in Sydney, said the decision was made after a meeting last week with officials from the Department of Health.

Some hand cleaners or sanitizers have a high alcohol content, she said.

"That in and of itself is a concern, as far as it being a flammable substance. So therefore we wouldn't want to have hand sanitizers around our schools in case that somebody decided to take a notion to start a fire using the hand sanitizer."

Paul Oldford, co-ordinator of facilities management for the board, said parents are also discouraged from sending their children to school with personal-sized bottles of hand sanitizer.

"We know of cases where children have consumed it and their blood-alcohol level has risen," he added.