Eight Pine-Sol disinfectant cleaners recalled due to infectious bacteria

Eight Pine-Sol disinfectant cleaning products are being recalled over concerns they may contain infectious bacteria, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Tuesday.

Pine-Sol Scented Multi-Surface Cleaners, CloroxPro Pine-Sol All-Purpose Cleaners, and Clorox Pine-Sol Professional Lemon Fresh Cleaners produced at a factory in Forest Park, Georgia, may contain the naturally occurring bacteria. Pseudomonas aeruginosawhich can cause infections in people with weakened immune systems, the commission said in a statement.

“With great caution, Clorox is recalling all products described above manufactured at its Forest Park, Georgia facility through September 2022,” the commission said.

Clorox, the parent company of the Pine-Sol brand, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tests found the bacteria in products made since January 2021, he said.

The germ can cause blood and lung infections, especially after surgery, when it can spread from surfaces and hands to medical equipment, according to a white paper from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The commission said that while the bacteria is unlikely to affect people with healthy immune systems, those with compromised immune systems should be wary.

“The bacteria can enter the body if inhaled, through the eyes or through a break in the skin,” he said.

Those at particular risk of infection include patients who use ventilators, as was common during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as those who need catheters or who have injuries from surgery or burns. , the CDC said.

The germ showed resistance to antibiotics, he said. “These germs can become multidrug resistant,” the CDC said.

Demand for disinfectant cleaners exploded at the start of the pandemic in 2020, when scientists feared that Covid-19 could be transmitted easily by surviving on surfaces and transferring to humans through hand-to-face contact.

Researchers, however, have largely ruled out contact with everyday surfaces as a common mode of transmission for Covid-19.

Tuesday’s recall applies to about 37 million individual products made since the start of 2021, the commission said.

Included are Lavender Clean, Sparkling Wave and Lemon Fresh scents of Pine-Sol Scented Multi-Surface Cleaners; Lavender Clean, Sparkling Wave, Lemon Fresh and Orange Energy scents of CloroxPro Pine-Sol All Purpose Cleaners; and Clorox Professional Pine-Sol Lemon Fresh Cleaners, the commission said.

Original Pine-Sol, which comes in pine scent, is not part of the recall, he said.

The products covered have date codes beginning with “A4” followed by a five-digit number below 22249, the commission said. Sizes range from 28 fluid ounces to 175.

The products were sold by Amazon, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Dollar General, Target, Home Depot, BJ’s, Kroger, Dollar Tree, Lowe’s, Publix and major retailers, the commission said.

Clorox will refund the purchase price with a receipt or the manufacturer’s suggested price without it; proof of purchase including a photo of the product’s 12-digit UPC code and date code is required, the commission said.

The company’s recall information page has more details.

After photographing the UPC and date code information, consumers should simply discard all products covered by the recall, the commission said, bottle, liquid and all.

TJ Swigart contributed.