EPA Region 8 actions protect public from coronavirus and other pathogens
17 Advisory Letters and 14 Notice of Refusal of Admission Orders issued to companies selling and importing mislabeled and unregistered pesticide products
DENVER (July 30, 2020) -- Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 8 announced it has issued 17 Advisory Letters and 14 Notice of Refusal of Admission Orders since April 1, 2020. These actions protect public health by ensuring pesticides advertised for use on the coronavirus and other pathogens are safe, effective, and used properly in accordance with the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).
“Disinfectants and other pesticide products that aren’t properly tested and registered can pose serious threats to public health,” said EPA Region 8 Director of the Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division, Suzanne Bohan. “EPA continues to work closely with our federal, state, and tribal partners to ensure pesticide products imported into, and sold in, the U.S. are safe and the public is not endangered by companies selling products that are ineffective against coronavirus and other pathogens.”
EPA Region 8 issued the 17 Advisory Letters to address violations at a variety of companies including individual online sellers and large national companies. These letters address pesticide products and devices that are marketed with false or misleading claims of efficacy against the novel coronavirus, the cause of COVID-19, and other pathogens. Any product making claims to disinfect the coronavirus must be registered with the EPA to ensure it is effective and safe. A current list of available products and other helpful information can be found on EPA’s coronavirus webpage: www.epa.gov/coronavirus.
EPA Region 8 also issued 14 Notice of Refusal of Admission Orders to stop illegal disinfectants and devices from entering the country. To ensure consumer confidence and ensure that pesticides imported into the country are safe, effective, and labeled properly, FIFRA requires all imported pesticides to be properly registered and produced in a registered establishment.
EPA continues to work with these companies to ensure they have a clear understanding of all applicable laws and regulations for the selling and importing of pesticides including disinfectants.
The Notice of Refusal of Admission Orders issued include the following:
Warehouse Supply Inc, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Importers: New Flyer of America Inc., Saint Cloud, Minnesota, New Flyer MSP, Erlanger, Kentucky and Fancy Feathers Maid, Sparks, Nevada
· Notice of Refusal of Admission Order issued due to imported disinfectant being unregistered and making unverified pesticidal claims.
Econo-Chem, Calgary, Alberta. Importer: UPS Supply Chain Solutions, Pembina, North Dakota
· Notice of Refusal of Admission Order issued due to imported disinfectant being unregistered and making unverified pesticidal claims.
Fraser Aerospace, Essex, UK. Importer: Frontier Airlines, Inc. Denver, Colorado
· Notice of Refusal of Admission Order issued due to imported disinfectant being unregistered and making unverified pesticidal claims.
Dahan Company Limited, 33 Jungbu-Daero 462 Beong-Gil, Suwon, South Korea. Importer: Akida Holdings, LLC, Neptune Beach, Florida
· Notice of Refusal of Admission Order issued due to imported disinfectant being unregistered and making unverified pesticidal claims.
Hypo Clean, Clearteck Manufacturing Inc., Decker, R0M0K0 XM, Canada. Broker: EMO Trans, Inc. (SFO), South San Francisco, California
· Notice of Refusal of Admission Order issued due to failure to declare pesticide product by filing required Notice of Arrival form.
During the response to the coronavirus pandemic, EPA, states, tribes, and communities have continued to work together to ensure the public has access to effective disinfectant products for use on the coronavirus and other pathogens. For more information on pesticide laws and regulations, click here.
EPA is also continuing to update resources on its website and add to the list of surface disinfectant products that are effective against SARS-CoV-2. To contact EPA about any coronavirus (COVID-19) issue, you may do so here: https://www.epa.gov/coronavirus/forms/contact-us-about-coronavirus-covid-19.
For copies of the Advisory Letters, please contact Christine Tokarz at Tokarz.Christine@epa.gov