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Sterilex Corp. to Pay $5,000 for Selling Unregistered Pesticide

Release Date: 8/16/1999
Contact Information: Roy Seneca (215) 814-5567

BALTIMORE -- Sterilex Corp. of Baltimore, Md. has agreed to pay a $5,000 penalty for allegedly selling unregistered pesticide products, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today.

According to EPA, the company claimed that its cleaning products -- marketed under the trade name Ultra-Kleen -- were effective in removing bacteria associated with “biofilm,” which would classify them as a pesticide. Biofilms, also known as slime, may be found in areas where dirt and moisture collect such as the slime found in a bathtub drain.

Because of these pesticidal claims, EPA alleges the company was required by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide & Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to register these products with EPA and comply with certain labeling regulations.

The Ultra-Kleen products were marketed nationwide to a wide variety of industries, including restaurants, food processing facilities, chicken farms, and dental offices.

The company has cooperated in EPA’s investigation, and has complied with a stop-sale order issued in February. The company has resumed sale of its Ultra-Kleen products, but only two of these products, Ultra-Kleen Solution 1 and Ultra-Kleen CW-502, can be recommended for the control of microorganisms as they are the only products which have been registered by EPA. However, these two EPA-registered products are not effective against human pathogens, which means that they can no longer be used in contact with food or water processing, human drinking water, or in dental offices.

"FIFRA is designed to ensure that consumers can have confidence that health and safety claims on pesticide products are accurate," said W. Michael McCabe, regional administrator for EPA’s mid-Atlantic region.