Packaging defect leads to P&G mouthwash recall

By Simon Pitman

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Consumer protection Procter & gamble

A defect design on the child-proof cap for Procter & Gamble’s Scope Original Mint Mouthwash has led to a nationwide recall in the US.

The announcement was made in conjunction with the company and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which formally announced a voluntary recall of the 1-liter size bottle, estimated to include about 35,000 units.

The products were manufactured in the United States between January and June of this year and were sold in drugstores throughout the US, where they retailed for approximately $4.

Ethyl alcohol dangerous for children

The product contains ethyl alcohol, which is legally required to be contained using a child-proof securing cap, if not the package label must specify that the product is only suitable for households where children are not present.

According to the announcement all packaging engraved with the number ‘4’ on the bottom of the bottles may not be fully child-resistant due to a defect in the cap.

Consumers have been told that if they can twist the cap off without squeezing the safety tabs on the caps, the cap and the packaging are not child-resistant.

Consumers have been warned by P&G that if they want to hold on to the bottles, they should keep them out of reach of children, otherwise they should contact the manufacturer for a complete refund or replacement coupon.

P&G lawsuit

Last August US lawyer Mark Rossman sued Procter & Gamble, claiming its Crest Pro-Health mouthwash left him with brown teeth.

Rossman said his wife alerted him to the stains and after doing some internet research he discovered that the same complaint had already been made by a number of other consumers, an Associated Press report said.

Rossman s filed a class-action lawsuit against the company in Michigan, claiming that P&G violated the state consumer protection act, but later removed himself as the lead name on the suit.

In a related incident in October 2008, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) re-released a tinting mouthwash a year after the product was pulled from the shelves when testing uncovered contaminates.

Listerine Agent Cool Blue is a mouthwash that colors the teeth blue to encourage children to pay more attention when brushing but the product returned to the labs for reformulation in April 2008.

Related topics Packaging & Design

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