Canada’s only producer of a key chemical used in manufacturing hand sanitizer is located in Corunna, just south of Sarnia. Shell’s Corunna refinery is donating 125,000 litres of the key chemical to the Canadian government free of charge.
The donation is being made to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada for use in the health-care sector, and their exclusive focus right now is the manufacture of hand sanitizer. The volume of isopropyl alcohol, or IPA, to be donated over the next three months is enough to create nearly one-million 12-ounce bottles of hand sanitizer.
Shell’s Corunna refinery, normally sells the chemical to a few customers in the United States that, in turn, manufacture hand sanitizer for stores across Canada and the U.S. The chemical produced in Sarnia is also being sold to other customers who use it for health-related purposes. The CDC recommends the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers with greater than 60% ethanol or 70% isopropanol as the preferred form of hand hygiene.
Reporting for WGRT – Marty Doorn
