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So Calif. chemical company could pay $65,000 for selling ineffective disinfectant

Release Date: 02/09/2006
Contact Information: Francisco Arcaute, (213) 244-1815

LOS ANGELES - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is seeking a $65,000 penalty from Grow More, Inc., a Gardena, Calif.-based chemical manufacturer, for allegedly selling an antimicrobial disinfectant that was not as effective as the label claimed. This is a violation of federal pesticide law.

The EPA is seeking the civil administrative penalty for violations stemming from the sale and distribution of “Naccosan Concentrate Cleaner,” a one-step pesticidal disinfectant designed for use in veterinary clinics and greenhouses to eliminate the potentially harmful bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This bacteria is widely found on plant and animal tissue. The EPA’s testing of Naccosan’s efficacy determined that, contrary to the claims on the disinfectant’s label, Naccosan was ineffective against this microorganism.

Due to the Naccosan label’s false statement of effectiveness, Grow More sold and distributed a misbranded pesticide in violation of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, which regulates the sale, distribution, and use of pesticides within the United States.

“Producers of antimicrobial products must ensure that their products kill all the microorganisms claimed on their product labels,” said Enrique Manzanilla, the EPA’s Communities and Ecosystems Division director for the EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. “The false claim by a registered pesticide product of its effectiveness against bacteria may result in an increased risk to human health and the environment.”

The complaint is based upon an inspection performed by the California Department of Pesticide Registration in January 2005 and efficacy testing results obtained by the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance in September 2005.

For more information on pesticides, please visit the EPA’s website at:
https://www.epa.gov/pesticides/index.htm