Coronavirus: How to detect fake sanitisers

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has advised citizens to be wary of substandard hand sanitisers as they protect themselves from coronavirus.

SON explained that the genuine ones have alcohol which can be perceived by the user.

The agency regretted that fake types of the product were being sold in markets across Nigeria.

NAN reports that the acting State Coordinator of SON in Plateau, James Yakzam, spoke on Friday in Jos.

He said: “Hand sanitiser are surposed to be alcohol based. But SON observed that some products in the market are void of alcohol and as such lacks the efficacy to kill germs or sanitiser the hands.

“They were concocted with all sorts of materials that could be detrimental to the end user. There is a specified standard for alcohol based hand sanitiser.”

The official advised that people who want to produce hand sanitiser locally to visit SON offices to seek proper guidelines for production and for the purchase of required alcohol.

Yakzam announced that SON will be going round shops to seize substandard hand sanitisers that do not meet the specified requirement.

He vowed that anyone caught selling substandard sanitisers will be prosecuted.

“I want to advise the general public to stop purchasing manufactured products without SON’s certification,’’ Yakzam counselled.