EPA Advisory Letters to Companies Regarding Fraudulent COVID-19 Disinfectants

EPA has advised eight Bay Area-based technology companies that unscrupulous dealers are using their platforms to sell illegal disinfectant products. The companies include Facebook, Ebay, Alibaba, Shopify, Qoo10, Joybuy.com, Wish.com and banggood.com.

Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), products that claim to kill or repel viruses, bacteria or other germs are considered pesticides and must be registered with the EPA prior to distribution or sale. Disinfectants and antimicrobial products claiming to control, prevent, destroy, repel, or mitigate the virus that causes COVID-19 are thus regulated under FIFRA.

• FIFRA Advisory letter to Alibaba Group USA. (pdf) (199.17 KB, April 10, 2020)
  EPA advisory letter to Alibaba Group USA (www.alibaba.com & www.aliexpress.com) regarding fraudulent COVID-19 disinfectants.
• FIFRA Advisory letter to Guangzhou Banggood Technology Co. Ltd. (pdf) (197.8 KB, April 15, 2020)
  EPA advisory letter to Guangzhou Banggood Technology Co. Ltd. (www.banggood.com) regarding fraudulent COVID-19 disinfectants.
• FIFRA Advisory letter to ContextLogic Inc. (pdf) (192.07 KB, March 24, 2020)
  EPA advisory letter to ContextLogic Inc. (Wish.com, Geek, Cute, Mama and Home) regarding fraudulent COVID-19 disinfectants.
  • Stop Sale, Use, or Removal Order: ContextLogic Inc. DBA Wish (pdf) (1.39 MB, June 30, 2022)
    Stop Sale, Use, or Removal Order in the matter of ContextLogic Inc. doing business as (dba) Wish. Docket No. FIFRA-09-2022-4501.
• FIFRA Advisory letter to eBay Inc. (pdf) (249.08 KB, April 4, 2020)
  EPA advisory letter to eBay Inc. (www.eBay.com) regarding fraudulent COVID-19 disinfectants.
• FIFRA Advisory letter to Facebook Inc. (pdf) (173.61 KB, April 13, 2020)
  EPA advisory letter to Facebook Inc. (www.Facebook.com & www.Instagram.com) regarding fraudulent COVID-19 disinfectants.
• FIFRA Advisory letter to JD E-Commerce America Ltd. (pdf) (198.32 KB, April 22, 2020)
  EPA advisory letter to JD E-Commerce America Ltd. (joybuy.com) regarding fraudulent COVID-19 disinfectants.
• FIFRA Advisory letter to Qoo10 PTE. Ltd. (pdf) (173.12 KB, April 14, 2020)
  EPA advisory letter to Qoo10 PTE. Ltd. (www.Qoo10.com, www.Qoo10.sg, & www.QuuBe.xyz)regarding fraudulent COVID-19 disinfectants.
• FIFRA Advisory letter to Shopify (USA) Inc. (pdf) (195.75 KB, April 14, 2020)
  EPA advisory letter to Shopify (USA) Inc. (www.shopify.com) regarding fraudulent COVID-19 disinfectants.