After the discovery of more than 100 litres of counterfeit alcohol-based sanitiser in Banteay Meanchey province on May 28, the Ministry of Commerce has increased efforts to inspect the quality of products at outlets nationwide.

Phan Oun, director-general of the ministry’s General Directorate of Consumer Protection, Competition and Fraud Repression (CCF), said CCF officials in Banteay Meanchey carried out the inspection in cooperation with commercial department officials and local authorities.

“We found and seized 104.5 litres of fake disinfectant. Business owners selling fake items will be prosecuted,” he said.

The directorate said the counterfeit products revealed high levels of methanol. Methanol was not only ineffective at killing the virus but it also affected people’s health causing skin rashes, memory loss and nausea. If mixed with ethanol, it can lead to death.

CCF said that during the Covid-19 outbreak, officials had seized more than 40 tonnes of fake sanitisers throughout the country.