LOS ANGELES (CNS) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Thursday ordered two Glendale companies to stop selling an unregistered disinfectant.
JT Construction Group Inc. and BZ Nano were told to stop selling the unregistered disinfectant FN Nano Photocatalytic coatings — also known as FN Coatings and FN NANO2 Photocatalytic Film, according to the EPA.
The product is an unregistered "disinfectant pesticide" being sold in violation of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, according to the environmental regulator.
Such practices are particularly problematic during the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency said.
EPA has issued the order to prevent the companies from continuing to distribute or offer for sale the unregistered disinfectants. The products have been available for sale on their websites and are marketed for use in medical facilities, schools, offices, and homes, the agency said.
"Effective disinfectants are vital to our communities in a pandemic," said EPA Pacific Southwest Enforcement Director Amy Miller. "If disinfectants are not registered, not effective, or make false claims, EPA will take action."
Public health claims for pesticide products, including disinfectants, can only be made following proper testing and registration with the EPA. The agency will not register a pesticide until it has been determined the product will not pose an unreasonable risk to human health when used according to the label directions. Unregistered products can be harmful to human health, cause adverse effects, and may not be effective against the spread of germs.