The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been cracking down on unapproved disinfectant products and unsubstantiated claims. One of the latest occurred in November 2009 when the EPA issued a warning about unscrupulous vendors who may market ineffective and unregistered products or services that claim to disinfect surfaces or entire rooms against the H1N1 influenza virus. The EPA registers disinfectants for use on hard surfaces, and when used according to label directions, such products will be effective against influenza A viruses, including the 2009 H1N1 pandemic strain. There are no products registered by EPA for use in residential settings that will disinfect or sterilize the air or a room by fogging. Claims for disinfecting carpeting, drapes and other porous surfaces are also false. The products approved by EPA are for use on hard surfaces only, and the label must state that the product is registered for the influenza A virus.
In October 2009, Samsung was fined $205,000 for making claims that its keyboards were antimicrobial and inhibited germs. According to the EPA, Samsung had not registered its products with the agency and was found to be in violation of the federal pesticide law. Samsung agreed to pay the fine and to stop making the claims; these claims on the company’s labels and promotional material for netbook and notebook computer laptops would render the products pesticides, requiring registration by EPA. And in 2008, the EPA fined ATEN Technology, Inc. $208,000 for “nano coating” pesticide claims on computer peripherals. The EPA maintained that IOGEAR made unsubstantiated public health claims regarding unregistered products, and their ability to control pathogens, a violation of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. IOGEAR products at issue were: wireless laser mouse with nano shield coating, laser travel mouse with nano coating technology, and wireless RF keyboard and mouse combinations. After being contacted by EPA, IOGEAR stopped making claims that their computer peripherals protect against germs.
“We’re seeing far too many unregistered products that assert unsubstantiated antimicrobial properties,” says Katherine Taylor, associate director of the Communities and Ecosystems Division in EPA’s Pacific Southwest region. “Whether the claim involves use of an existing material such as silver, or new nano technology, the EPA takes these unverified public health claims very seriously. Consumers should always follow common-sense hygiene practices, like washing hands frequently and thoroughly.”
“Pesticides can be beneficial in killing off harmful bacteria, but they can also be dangerous if they don’t work as claimed,” says George Pavlou, acting regional administrator at the EPA. “Members of the public think their health is being protected when it actually is not. Making sure that public health claims are true is part of the reason EPA governs the use of pesticides, and it is absolutely essential that those using pesticides register with EPA so that the agency can ensure the safety of all involved.”
EPA’s federal pesticide law, also known as the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), is designed to regulate the sale and use of pesticides in the United States. Before a pesticide can be sold or distributed in the United States, FIFRA requires that registration be obtained from the EPA. In making a registration decision, the EPA must determine that the pesticide, when used in accordance with labeling directions, will not cause unreasonable adverse effects to human health or the environment. Without a pesticide product in its registration database, the EPA cannot, for example, prescribe labeling requirements that set forth effective warnings and specific directions for use.
