The Environmental Protection Agency has ordered a local company to stop selling its disinfectants and sanitizers immediately.
The EPA states that Hiro Systems Hawaii LLC, based in Honolulu, sold misbranded and unregistered sanitization products to consumers.
Products were falsely endorsed by the EPA, according to a press release on Tuesday.
Additionally, the disinfectant labels said the product could kill the bacteria found in COVID-19, however, the EPA said its effectiveness could not be proven.
"One of the things about illegal antimicrobial products is that the typical consumer can't really tell if they work or not. If you spray a surface you can't see the bacteria viruses that are killed," said Matt Salazar, who manages the toxics branch of the EPA's enforcement division.
Products that claim to kill bacteria or viruses are considered pesticides under federal law. Pesticides must be registered by the EPA to ensure the product's effectiveness and safety.
The Hiro products the EPA is putting a "legally binding" stop to include:
- HIRO Proprietary Blend Raw TEG
- HOCL Hypo-Chlorus Acid Eco-Friendly Sanitization Solution
- HIROCL Hypochlorous Acid Sanitization Solution
- Clean Republic Disinfectant + Sanitizer
- Side-Kik HOCL Generator
"As part of selling or manufacturing a disinfectant product in the U.S., the company needs to provide a bunch of studies showing the destruction efficiency to our headquarters and get the product approved," Salazar explained.
The EPA works with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to monitor illegal shipments of pesticides. Customs would deny around 20 shipments of illegal pesticides in an average year before the pandemic. That number has increased to 200 illegal shipments every year during the pandemic.
The mislabeled Hiro products have been sold at Ala Moana Center. Any further sales will be against the law, according to the EPA.
