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THE DEPARTMENT OF Education has issued an urgent notice to schools that an additional 52 disinfectant products have been removed from their approved list following the recall of Virapro disinfectants prior to the midterm recess.
Various types of wet wipes, hand sanitizers, soaps, and detergents have been removed from the approved list following a review by the Departments of Education and Agriculture of biocidal products used as PPE in schools.
This comes despite the Agriculture Minister saying last weekend that there was “no doubt or sign that there were problems with any other hand sanitizer.”
Schools with stocks of the products that have been removed from the list have been advised not to use the products anymore and to “store them safely until they are picked up by the supplier.”
The Department of Education has told schools that they will receive funding to obtain new supplies.
In a statement, the department said that the “Educational Procurement Service has engaged with providers in the [PPE] agreement in the last days and there are sufficient stocks available for the schools to order ”.
Schools looking for a new product to replace stock should contact any of the vendors in the agreement directly to process orders, ”the department said.
“The Department is working with suppliers to ensure that stocks are provided to schools in time to reopen on Monday, November 2 when needed.”
“Suppliers are ready to prioritize the school orders they receive.”
17 types of hand sanitizers have been removed from the approved list, along with five types of hand sanitizer refills.
Eight types of hand soap, eight detergents and 14 types of wipes have also been removed from the list.
A total of 172 products were evaluated during the review.
Following the removal of some products and the addition of others, there are currently 120 products available for use by schools.
Some schools were forced to close the last day before the midterm break due to the recall of the Virapro disinfectants that were in use at various schools.
The disinfectants had been used in schools, health centers, and retail stores, with more than one million Virapro disinfectants removed from healthcare locations.
On Sunday, Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue said no problems had been identified with disinfectants other than Virapro, which had been recalled.
Speaking on RTÉ’s This Week in Politics, McConalogue said: “There is no question or sign that there are problems with any other hand sanitizer.”
Schools today received a communication from the Department of Education to inform them of the new changes to the approved list.
Pat McKenna, principal of Pobalscoil Neasáin in Baldoyle, North Dublin, said his school received an email at 4:28 p.m.
In a statement, the Department of Education said it is removing 43 biocides and 9 other products from the approved list for schools because “it has not been possible to satisfactorily confirm their registration status as part of the review.”
“These products will not be included on our approved list for schools until their registration status has been confirmed,” the department said.
“The Department has no evidence that these products are unsafe.”
The department has told schools affected by the product removal that they will receive funding for an assistant for two days to help resolve the issue.
The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) has said that the removal of the products from the list was a “necessary” decision.
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TUI Secretary General Michael Gillespie said that “while we acknowledge and regret the disruption this will cause, TUI believes that recalling the products is the necessary and correct decision.”
Gillespie said the use of “substandard or defective products” must be “phased out” to protect health and safety within schools.
“We want real safety, not the illusion of safety, for our members, their students, and their families,” Gillespie said.
“We urge the Department to ensure that schools are provided with replacement products of the high standard required as a matter of urgency so that schools can be kept open,” he said.
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