Company Fined $171,600 For Selling Japanese Pesticides

EPA, Jul 07, 2008

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency settled with a Torrance, Calif. company for $171,600 for allegedly selling unregistered, imported Japanese pesticides at its San Jose, Calif. location.

In June 2007, EPA inspectors discovered that Mitsuwa Corporation sold 33 unregistered products from Japan, including Kao Magic Clean for bath and toilets and Lion Clean Clean Kitchen, at its Mitsuwa Marketplace store. The antimicrobial products claimed to control bacteria, mold and germs.

If a company is going to sell pesticides they must be sure that the products are registered and meet all federal and state regulations, said Katherine Taylor, the EPA’s associate director for agriculture for the EPA’s Pacific Southwest region. Without products going through the proper EPA registration process, we cannot be sure what they contain and whether they are properly packaged and labeled.

The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) requires companies to register products as pesticides if the cleaning product makes claims to control germs. These requirements protect public health and the environment by ensuring safe production, handling, and application of pesticides, and by preventing false, misleading, or unverifiable product claims.