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Coronavirus In Chicago: CPD Says Hand Sanitizer Given To Officers Expired In 2015

CHICAGO (CBS) -- After a source tipped off CBS 2 Investigator Brad Edwards, the Chicago Police Department said the hand-sanitizing solution handed out to officers within the last few days amid the coronavirus outbreak is all expired.

The solution was last made in 2012, and its efficacy only lasted through 2015.

The CPD said there is a nationwide shortage of hand sanitizer that applies to the department too. The hand sanitizer that was made in 2012 and expired was the only supply provided to the department, the CPD said.

The manufacturer, Safetec of America Inc., said the hand sanitizer does not have an expiration date because it is an over-the-counter product without a dosage limit. But the company said it only has three years of stability testing, and thus, cannot vouch for the effectiveness of hand sanitizer that is more than three years old.

The CPD said the expired hand sanitizer issue is also affecting other departments across the country, including New York.

"This is not an ideal situation, but we are doing what we can given the nationwide shortage of infection control supplies," the CPD said.

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