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Three Southern California businesses pay over $59,000 for distributing unregistered Korean pesticides

Release Date: 08/26/2008
Contact Information: Francisco Arcaute (213) 244-1815, cell (213) 798-1404 arcaute.francisco@epa.gov

LOS ANGELES – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently settled with two Southern California importers and a supermarket for a total of $59,040 for the alleged sale or distribution of unregistered Korean pesticides, a violation of federal pesticide law.

The settlements included:
· Jayone Foods, Inc., a kitchen goods importer and distributor located at 7212 Alondra Blvd., Paramount, paid $10,400 for distributing “Home Clinic – Antibacterial;"
· Bega Trading Company, a household goods importer and distributor located at 3850 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, paid $33,040 for importing and distributing "Bisol Kitchen and Bath Disinfectant;”
· Zion Market, a supermarket located at 12565 Carson St., Hawaiian Gardens, paid $15,600 for selling "Home Clinic - Antibacterial"; "Kitchen Cleaner - Antibacterial"; and "Oxy Sack Sack Kitchen and Bathroom Cleaner - Antibacterial."

All of the products sold were imported from Korea and made either English or Korean-language claims to disinfect or sanitize surfaces. Disinfectants and sanitizers are considered “pesticides” under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, and must be registered with the EPA.

“Companies must be aware that products intended to kill or control germs need to be registered as pesticides,” said Katherine Taylor, associate director of the Communities and Ecosystems Division in the EPA’s Pacific Southwest office. “The EPA will continue to pursue violators of the law to ensure that these products do not make misleading and unverifiable claims.”

The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act regulates the sale, distribution, and use of pesticides within the United States. Importers, distributors, and retailers, are required by federal law to ensure that any pesticides they distribute have been registered with EPA.

For more information on pesticide regulation and enforcement, please visit: http://epa.gov/compliance/civil/fifra.