Staff in the Faculty of Science have produced hundreds of litres of hand sanitizer for the York University campuses to use during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following a formulation recommended by the World Health Organization and reagents already in stock in the Science Stores, Director of Safety and Business Operations Brad Sheeller, HazMat Technician Zhibin Wu and Storekeeper Sherryl Deane have generated almost 400 litres of sanitizer. Production involves mixing ethanol, glycerol and hydrogen peroxide in carefully measured amounts, followed by quarantining the final containers for 72 hours to inactivate any bacteria that may have contaminated the solution.

The sanitizer has been distributed to Facilities Services and is being used by staff still working on campus and students staying in residences. So far, the Faculty of Science has produced enough sanitizer to last a few months, and it will continue to make more on an ad hoc basis to help keep our campuses safe.