The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency levied a fine against the local operator of Daiso stores this month to the tune of nearly $315,000 for unregistered pesticides and misbranded pesticide devices.
Earlier in the year, the EPA also fined the parent company of Don Quijote, Times Supermarket and Marukai Market over $660,000 for selling unregistered chemicals — think disinfectants, plant growth regulators, as well as insecticides and pesticides for things like roach control.
"We have seen a proliferation of these products that are not registered with EPA out in the marketplace since the pandemic, so we have had a concerted effort nationwide to go out and conduct inspections at marketplaces, looking for these products," said Amy Miller from the EPA's Region 9 Enforcement and Compliance Division.
"The problem with these kinds of products is we don't know what's in it. We don't know if it works. And that's part of what EPA registration does, is it works with companies to make sure they have adequate label language, tells people how to use the product, make sure that the ingredients aren't going to be harmful to the user, and it also ensures that the products can actually do what they intend to do," she added.
She said label language on EPA-registered products needs to be in English. To make sure a product has been reviewed and registered, check for EPA registration and establishment numbers on the packaging.
"A product from another country, that country may not have the same regulations or the same rigorous requirements that we have here in the United States," Miller told HPR.
This interview aired on The Conversation on Oct. 22, 2024. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
