Is the cure worse than the disease or the cause of the disease or both?

Decide for yourself — AllerCare^TM Dust Mite Carpet Powder and AllerCare^TM Dust Mite Allergen Spray for Carpet and Upholstery, products marketed to kill pests that could trigger allergy attacks and asthma, have been recalled from store shelves as of early last year for causing asthma attacks, among other symptoms.

The products contain the active ingredient benzyl benzoate and are manufactured by SC Johnson and Son, Inc.

The chemical industry is a big promoter of using its products to prevent pest-caused asthma. EPA urged the company to initiate this recall of the pesticide due to an excessive number of incidents reported by consumers who experienced adverse effects from using the product.

Over 400 incidents document severe to minor reactions to the products, including asthma attacks, respiratory problems, burning sensations, and skin irritation.

Allergy and asthma sufferers appear to be most negatively affected by the use of the products, and most reactions occurred within 15-30 minutes of product application.

EPA has also received some reports of reactions in pets.

If you have had an adverse reaction to these products, contact Jerry Blondell, EPA, Health Effects Division (7509C), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20460, 1-800-858-7378, nptn@ace.orst.edu.

If you have these AllerCare^TM products in your home, contact SC Johnson,
1-877-255-3722, for instructions on where to take the product for recovery, or for a refund.

Reprinted from Pesticides and You, the newsletter of Beyond Pesticides/National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides.