News Releases from Region 03

EPA settlement with Chambersburg chemical manufacturer enforces pesticide safeguards

PHILADELPHIA (October 31, 2019) AFCO C&S, LLC, a chemical manufacturer in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, will pay a $1,489,000 penalty to settle alleged violations of federal pesticide regulations involving 12 products used in the cleaning and sanitizing of food and beverage processing facilities, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today. 

EPA cited AFCO for violating the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), a federal law requiring the registration of pesticide products and pesticide production facilities, and the proper labeling of pesticides. FIFRA's requirements protect public health and the environment by ensuring the safe production, handling and application of pesticides; and by preventing false, misleading, or unverifiable product claims.

“The goal of this regulation is to promote the appropriate use of pesticides and to minimize the risks from their use to the public, pesticide applicators, and the environment,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Cosmo Servidio. “This settlement protects public health and the environment by ensuring that products are properly reviewed and labeled with accurate information about human health and environmental risks.”

The alleged violations involved the sale and/or distribution of 10 unregistered pesticide products as well as a misbranded product and a product with claims beyond its FIFRA registration. AFCO distributed these cleaning and sanitizing products to facilities such as dairy and meat processing plants, food production factories, commercial bakeries, and breweries, where they were used without EPA reviewing product claims and health and environmental risks. 

This settlement, which follows a Stop Sale, Use or Removal Order issued on July 13, 2018, resolves all violations including sales and distributions that violated the removal order.  AFCO has since discontinued sales and distributions of all of these products with the exception of one registered product.

As part of the settlement, the company did not admit liability for the alleged violations, but has certified that it is now in compliance with relevant requirements.

For more information about EPA’s pesticide program, visit http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/

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