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UDAF Warns Consumers About Fraudulent Sanitizer, Disinfectant

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Due to the pandemic, use of sanitizer and disinfect has increased. With this increase, officials in the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food have found many improperly labeled or repackaged products. 

Utah Department of Agriculture and Food is asking people to be mindful of the sanitizers and disinfectants they buy.

Henry Nahalewski, the Pesticide Program Manager for Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, said  that many sanitizers and disinfectants are fraudulent or illegal due to false claims, being altered and repackaged.

The Environmental Protection Agency reviews new disinfectants and sanitizers to determine if they are safe and effective. Nahalewski said that while the EPA is trying to approve products quickly, it can still take some time.

“It can take up to 12 months for the product to be approved," said Nahalewski. "So it's not a quick thing. That's the other problem that we're seeing is some people are just repackaging others other products that are legally registered and approved. And they're just mixing them with water and throwing them into again container and calling them something else.”

Nahalewski said that when people add water to these products, the chemical structure of these products are changed as well.

In order to get the best results from your sanitizer or disinfectant, Nahalweski said its important to read and follow the directions on the label.

“The main other thing that I've seen a lot of labels require that people don't always do is to actually watch the surface first with a regular cleaner. And after that's wipe down and dried,  then you apply the disinfectant,” said Nahalweski. 

To find out if your product is effective, visit  ag.utah.gov/disinfectants.