Freiburg (dpa / lsw) – Schnapps distillers in Baden-Württemberg help hospitals in need in the corona crisis with alcohol. For the production of disinfectants, high-proof alcohol is urgently needed, said a spokesman for the Freiburg University Hospital. Chemically manufactured agents are in short supply. Help from spirits manufacturers is therefore welcome. Clinics and laboratories could use high-proof alcohol to make disinfectants.
According to the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Social Affairs, products for disinfection are currently particularly in demand and difficult to obtain because of the corona virus. This poses problems for clinics.
The University Hospital Freiburg now receives 15,000 liters of alcohol from regional schnapps distillers, said the clinic spokesman. 12,000 liters of this comes from the Black Forest house distillery Schladerer in Staufen (Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district) near Freiburg.
For this purpose, schnapps are taken from the warehouse and distilled again, said Managing Director Philipp Schladerer. This increases their alcohol content. Fruit brandies and other distillates produce 80 percent alcohol. This will be processed. “With the 12,000 liters, we can make ends meet for a month,” said the spokesman for the Freiburg University Hospital. The clinic is grateful for that. However, the situation remains tense. Because of corona, the disinfectant requirement is currently three times higher than usual.
The majority of the alcohol is processed by a company in Bavaria. In addition, the clinic started to manufacture disinfection products. This is due to the acute need, said the spokesman: “Usually we don’t do that.”
The legal requirements for spirits manufacturers were relaxed at short notice because of the corona crisis, said a spokesman for the Association of Badischer Klein- und Obstbrenner with headquarters in Appenweier (Ortenaukreis). This would make production easier. The industry can help and take responsibility.
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