Clorox recalling products over bacteria concerns

Clorox has recalled 37 million of its Pine-Sol cleaning products, citing the possibility of the products containing a bacteria that can be harmful to humans.

The recall spans several of the company's Pine-Sol multisurface and all-purpose cleaners, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. It does not include the original pine scent Pine-Sol product.

Consumers who own Pine-Sol multisurface cleaners or all purpose cleaners with lavender clean, sparkling wave or lemon fresh scents, all-purpose cleaners with orange energy scent or Clorox Professional Pine-Sol Lemon Fresh Cleaners that include date codes beginning with “A4” and followed by a five-digit number less than 22249 should stop using the products, the commission said.

Pine-Sol will offer full refunds of the products, which include those produced between January 2021 and September 2022. Consumers can contact the company to receive their refunds.

The recalled products may include a bacteria called pseudomonas aeruginosa, which can cause serious infection in people with weakened immune systems or those that use external medical devices.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates the bacteria is found in the environment, namely in soil and water, and can cause infections in the blood, lungs or other parts of the body.

The bacteria is also prone to resist antibiotics, and in 2017 multidrug-resistant pseudomonas aeruginosa caused 32,600 infections among hospitalized patients and 2,700 estimated deaths nationwide, according to the CDC.

“People with healthy immune systems are usually not affected by the bacteria,” the commission said in its recall notice.