EPA fines Best Buy for selling unregistered and misbranded disinfectant wipes from its Union City, Calif. store
SAN FRANCISCO (April 21, 2022) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a settlement with Best Buy Co., Inc. for selling “Pure Mobile Sanitizing Tech Wipes,” an unregistered and misbranded product making disinfectant claims in violation of federal law. Today’s settlement follows a series of enforcement actions the Agency has taken to protect human health and the environment from misleading and harmful claims during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Best Buy has agreed to pay a $199,821 civil penalty and has revised its environmental management systems to mitigate the recurrence of such violations.
“We are dedicated to ensuring disinfectants meet EPA’s stringent effectiveness and safety standards,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “EPA will continue to use our enforcement and investigative toolset to stop illegal products, which – particularly during a pandemic – may harm consumers with unproven or misleading public health claims.”
On December 3, 2020, EPA conducted an inspection at the Best Buy store located in Union City, California. During this inspection, EPA found that the store had sold “Pure Mobile Sanitizing Tech Wipes” on 55 occasions from July 2020 through February 2021. Despite making pesticidal claims, this product was not registered as required under federal pesticide law. In addition, the product had misleading information on its label that caused it to be misbranded.
Caption: Packaging showing the Pure Mobile Sanitizing Tech Wipes product (front)
Caption: Packaging showing the Pure Mobile Sanitizing Tech Wipes product (back)
Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, products that claim to kill or repel bacteria or germs, including disinfectants, are considered pesticides and must be registered with the EPA. Public health claims can only be made regarding products that have been properly tested and are registered with the EPA. The agency will not register a disinfectant until it is determined to be effective and will not pose an unreasonable risk to consumers when used according to the label directions. Products not registered by EPA can be harmful to human health, cause adverse effects, and may not be effective against the spread of germs.
View the most up-to-date list of EPA-registered disinfectant products.
Learn more information on pesticide registration.
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