The HSE was strongly advised by the Department of Agriculture to stop using ViraPro hand sanitiser more than two weeks before it was recalled from health facilities and schools.
Documents obtained by RTÉ News under the Freedom of Information Act show a Department of Agriculture official emailed the HSE to "strongly advise removing all ViraPro Sanitiser Product you currently have in use in the HSE" on 7 October.
However, it was more than two weeks later, on 23 October, before the HSE formally issued a recall notice to tell its health facilities to stop using the product.
The documents also show the HSE was first alerted to an issue with the product on or before 29 September, almost a month before the recall.