The EPA said the two companies had violated federal laws because they sold the product using public-health claims"that substantially differed" from those approved during the product's EPA registration, which had included its effectiveness against fungi, mold, and bacteria that cause odors, staining, or discoloration.
"Approved uses allowed on Zoono Microbe Shield labeling do not include use as a disinfectant or sanitizer or any public health claims," the EPA said. The EPA has reached settlements with the two companies: Zoono USA will pay a $205,000 civil penalty and Zoono Holdings will pay $120,000. The companies have taken actions to come into compliance with the Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, the EPA added.
"Zoono Holdings takes regulatory responsibilities very seriously and as soon as Zoono Holdings received notification from the E.P.A. that in market advertising claims were under investigation, Zoono Holdings halted all in market sales and worked diligently to remove any misleading claims from the market," the spokesperson told the publication.Zoona USA's website
lists the product as an antimicrobial surface protectant and doesn't describe it as a sanitizer or disinfectant or as an effective product against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. In other countries, however, Zoono appears to market the product as a