The Clorox Company has agreed to pay a $14 million civil penalty settlement for failing to immediately report that Pine-Sol Scented Multi-Surface Cleaning Products could be contaminated with bacteria.
Clorox microbiologists documented bacterial contamination in the products described as “possibly a Pseudomonad” in early 2019. Soon after, Clorox received complaints of cloudy products.
Clorox took steps to reduce the possibility of microbial contamination, but failed to immediately report the problem to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), as is required by federal la.w
In October 2022, Clorox eventually announced a recall for about 37 million bottles of Pine-Sol products that were made since 2021. According to the recall:
To date, testing has identified bacteria in certain recalled products, including those produced between January 2021 and September 2022. Clorox produced approximately 37 million recalled products in that period.
The recall warned consumers about potential contamination with Pseudomonas aeriguinosa. Exposure to this bacteria poses a risk of serious infections that may require medical treatment, especially for people with weakened immune systems, or those who use external medical devices.
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