Illegal Pesticide Sales At Hawaii Daiso Stores Prompt Record Fine
The EPA, in one of the largest-ever federal settlements of its kind, also cited mislabeled cockroach and fly catchers.
A retailer with stores in Hilo, Pearl City, Piikoi and downtown Honolulu has agreed to pay $314,747 for selling 23 types of unregistered pesticides following a joint federal-state investigation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said in a Thursday.
EPA and Hawaii Department of Agriculture investigated the Daiso stores from mid-2020 through early 2021 and found the business was importing and selling the chemical products without having filled out paperwork required under federal safety laws.
The resulting fine, the EPA said, is one of the largest-ever federal pesticide settlements.
Unregistered pesticides can harm human health and the environment, cause adverse effects, and may not be effective against the spread of germs. Pesticides claims to kill or control pests, including those of a microbial nature, must be by the EPA before sale in the U.S. and are limited in the scope of the pesticidal claims that they are allowed to make.
Besides the 23 different types of unregistered pesticides, Daiso also sold聽Premium Adhesive Cockroach Catchers聽and聽Made in Japan Fly Catchers, both of which were mislabeled, EPA spokesman Michael Brogan said in an email.
The total amount sold has not been established, Brogan said.
The agency isn鈥檛 aware of anyone suffering physical harm as a result of purchasing the unregistered and mislabeled products, he added.
鈥淓PA will not tolerate companies selling unregistered or misbranded disinfectants that are not effective, potentially unsafe, or make false claims.鈥 said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. 鈥淲e will use our enforcement authorities to protect adults, children and pets by removing these illegal products from the marketplace.鈥
Daiso stores are owned locally by Maui Varieties Ltd., which the news release said also does business under the HouseMart name.
