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EPA orders Stop Sale Of Germ Pro Products, Inc. Product with MRSA Claims

Release Date: 05/06/2009
Contact Information: Dawn Harris-Young, (404) 562-8421, harris-young.dawn@epa.gov

(Atlanta, Ga. – May 6, 2009) U. S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a "stop sale, use or removal" order against Germ Pro Products, Inc. in Tampa for selling or distributing a registered pesticide in violation of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). EPA initiated this action to ensure that all inflated claims are removed from the website to protect human health and the environment. As part of the settlement, Germ Pro Products has corrected its website and paid a penalty.

Germ Pro advertised its product “Germ Pro Surface Disinfectant” on its website as being effective against Methicillan Resistant Staph aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium difficile and its spores, as well as many other bacteria, viruses, fungi and yeast microbes. The product is registered with EPA and testing information provided in connection with its registration indicate effectiveness against Influenza A2, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella cholerasuis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

EPA requires submission of efficacy data on pesticides containing antimicrobial claims, since the public cannot readily ascertain with the naked eye the effectiveness of this type of pesticide. Due to human health implications if the pesticides are not effective, EPA continues to prioritize actions regarding noncomplying antimicrobial pesticides.