Mold Removal & Remediation near San Francisco, California

“The North Face” Parent Company, “Saniguard” Marketers, and Califone Fined More Than $500,000 Over Antimicrobial Claims

Release date: 05/06/2010

Contact Information: Nahal Mogharabi, 415-947-4307, 

(SAN FRANCISCO--5/6/10) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that three California companies and one New Jersey firm will pay more than $500,000 to resolve cases involving unsubstantiated antimicrobial claims for commonly used products such as shoes, headphones and bathroom fixtures. 

“EPA will take decisive action against companies making unverified public health claims,” said Jared Blumenfeld, Regional Administrator of EPA’s Pacific Southwest region. “Unless these products are registered with EPA, consumers have little or no information about whether their claims are accurate.”

San Leandro, Calif.-based VF Outdoor, Inc., will pay $207,500 for allegedly making unsubstantiated public health claims such as providing “antimicrobial protection” and inhibiting the growth of “disease-causing bacteria” for more than 60 shoe products it sold – a violation of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). The products were sold under The North Face label by VF Outdoor. Products discovered online and evidence found at a North Face retail store inSan Francisco led EPA to issue a complaint against VF Outdoor in 2009. 

EPA also recently fined Califone International, Inc., of San Fernando, Calif., $220,000 over unproven health claims for headphones. Califone, a designer and distributor of audiovisual equipment used in schools and other institutions, allegedly sold headphones claiming “to prevent the spread of bacteria, mold and mildew for student protection.” 

Additionally, EPA fined Component Hardware Group, Inc., of Lakewood, N.J., and John S. Dull Associates, Inc. (d/b/a Food Service Parts in Garden Grove, Calif.), $98,300 following an inspection conducted by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. The inspection revealed evidence that the companies were selling and distributing Saniguard products with unverified claims that they control growth of bacteria and contain antimicrobial technology that controls growth of E. coli, salmonella, staph, and pseudomonas on treated surfaces. The Saniguard products allegedly marketed to hospitals and other industries include faucets, spigots, handles, light switch and socket covers, door push and pull plates, and food service hardware. 

EPA’s authority to assess penalties in these settlements stems from FIFRA, which requires that companies register pesticide products with EPA before making claims about their ability to control germs or pathogens. While the North Face, Califone, and Saniguard products all incorporated EPA-registered silver-based antimicrobial compounds to protect them against deterioration, they were never tested or registered to protect consumers against bacteria, fungus, mold, and/or mildew. 

“We’re seeing more and more consumer products making a wide variety of antimicrobial claims,” said Katherine Taylor, associate director of the Communities and Ecosystems Division in EPA’s Pacific Southwest region. “Whether they involve shoes, headphones, or household fixtures, EPA takes these unsubstantiated public health claims very seriously.”

Under FIFRA, products that claim to kill or repel bacteria or germs are considered pesticides, and must be registered with the EPA prior to distribution or sale. The Agency will not register a pesticide until it has been tested to show that it will not pose an unreasonable risk when used according to the label directions. Consumers should be careful to look for the EPA registration number printed on product labels, and need to follow the label directions for use.

Fact sheet on consumer products treated with pesticides:http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/treatart.htm

Guidance for businesses on treated articles: http://www.epa.gov/PR_Notices/pr2000-1.pdf

For more information on pesticides, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides

U.S. EPA fines Safeway $675,000 for allegedly selling unregistered household cleaning products

Release date: 07/05/2007

Contact Information: Dean Higuchi, 808-541-2711, 

(07/05/07) SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently fined Safeway, Inc. $675,000 for allegedly selling unregistered household cleaning products at its Hawaii and California stores with labels claiming the products disinfect and remove mold and mildew, a violation of federal law. 

Disinfectants and products that control mold are considered pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. Both products make pesticidal claims which would require registration as pesticides with the EPA. Neither product was registered.

“Our pesticide registration rules require products claiming to disinfect, kill, or control germs and pests such as mold, be registered as a pesticide,” said Katherine Taylor, associate director of the EPA’s Communities and Ecosystems Division of EPA Southwest Regional Office “Proper registration of pesticides ensures that labels include use directions and safety precautions designed to limit risks to human health and the environment.” 

In 2005, a Hawaii Department of Agriculture inspector found Safeway Heavy Duty Toilet Bowl Cleaner being sold at a Safeway store on Kauai, Hawaii, claiming it ‘disinfects.’ The EPA alleges that Safeway sold this product in its stores throughout Northern California and Hawaii. 

In 2006, a California Department of Pesticide Regulations inspector found a second product, Safeway Liquid Cleanser with Bleach, being sold at a Vons store in Grover Beach, CA, claiming it ‘removes mold and mildew’. The Vons Companies, Inc. is a subsidiary of Safeway. 
 
The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act regulates the sale, distribution, and use of pesticides within the United States. Before selling or distributing any pesticide in the United States, companies are required to register the pesticide with the EPA and ensure that the registered pesticide is properly labeled. 

Companies must provide additional data before a legal claim can be made that a product protects public health. The label of all EPA registered products must bear the EPA registration number, along with directions for use and safety precautions.

Southern California company settles with EPA for $171,600 for selling unregistered Japanese pesticides at San Jose, Calif. store

Contact Information: Wendy Chavez, 415/947-4248, 

 (San Francisco, Calif. -- 07/02/2008) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today settled with a Torrance, Calif. company for $171,600 for allegedly selling unregistered, imported Japanese pesticides at its San Jose, Calif. location.

In June 2007, EPA inspectors discovered that Mitsuwa Corporation sold 33 unregistered products from Japan, including “Kao Magic Clean” for bath and toilets and “Lion Clean Clean Kitchen,” at its Mitsuwa Marketplace store. The antimicrobial products claimed to control bacteria, mold and germs.
 
“If a company is going to sell pesticides they must be sure that the products are registered and meet all federal and state regulations,” said Katherine Taylor, the EPA’s associate director for agriculture for the EPA’s Pacific Southwest region. “Without products going through the proper EPA registration process, we cannot be sure what they contain and whether they are properly packaged and labeled.”

Since the violations were discovered, the company has cooperated with the EPA’s investigation and promptly discontinued all sales of the unregistered products.

Manufacturers, distributors and retailers are all responsible for ensuring that pesticides sold in the U.S. fully comply with the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, which regulates the sale, distribution, and use of pesticides within the United States. 

FIFRA requires companies to register products as pesticides if the cleaning product makes claims to control germs. These requirements protect public health and the environment by ensuring safe production, handling, and application of pesticides, and by preventing false, misleading, or unverifiable product claims.

The EPA will not register a pesticide until it has been tested to show that it will not pose an unreasonable risk when used according to the directions. The agency also makes sure that pesticide labels provide consumers with the information they need to use the products safely. Pesticides that have been registered with the agency will have an EPA registration number on the label.

For more information on what types of products are regulated as pesticides under the federal law, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/about/ . Information on pesticide regulation and enforcement is available at: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/civil/fifra/

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