With a shortage of sanitizer across the country, several Ontario distilleries have begun switching from producing gin, vodka and other liquors to bottling hand sanitizer.
When University of Guelph researcher Scott Weese found out that Guelph-based Dixon’s Distilled Spirits planned to do the same, he decided to help.
Weese worked with the distillery to develop a recipe for the sanitizer, based on recommendations of the World Health Organization. While the distillery had alcohol in storage, Weese also helped supply the remaining two ingredients – glycerol and peroxide, often used in labs.
Dixon’s Distilled Spirits now has enough to make at least 2,000 litres of hand sanitizer. The product has been donated to health-care workers and essential services, including medical clinics, the fire department, the local OPP dispatch and more.
The university is currently working with Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health to determine whether there are other supplies it can provide to local organizations to help in the pandemic response. All donations will be coordinated through Public Health.
For more information visit the University of Guelph.
