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By Alice Gibbs
Senior Reporter
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The Clorox Company has agreed to pay a $14.15 million civil penalty after federal regulators said the manufacturer failed to immediately alert authorities to a potential bacterial contamination risk in its Pine‑Sol scented multi‑surface cleaners.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said the penalty resolves allegations that Clorox “knowingly failed to immediately report,” as required by law, that certain Pine‑Sol scented cleaning products contained a defect capable of creating a substantial product hazard or posing an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death.
Internal Warnings and Delayed Reporting
According to the CPSC, Clorox microbiologists flagged the issue as early as 2019, documenting contamination in storage tanks and finished product that they described as “possibly a Pseudomonad.”
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Around the same time, Clorox received reports of cloudy Pine‑Sol bottles in retail stores, and a distributor filed a similar complaint involving multiple locations.
While the company took internal steps to address the potential contamination, regulators say Clorox did not promptly report the issue to the Commission.
“Prompt reporting of safety risks saves lives, and CPSC will not hesitate to enforce the law when companies fail to meet their obligations,” CPSC Acting Chairman Peter A. Feldman said, adding that the settlement “sends a clear message” to firms that delay reporting hazards.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is responsible for protecting the public from risk of injury associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products.
The CPSC reports that deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product-related incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually.
A spokesperson for the Clorox company told Newsweek: "The Clorox company is firmly committed to the safety and well‑being of our consumers and to maintaining the highest standards for our products. We take product safety and our reporting obligations seriously and respectfully dispute the agency’s allegations. Clorox's decision to enter into this agreement related to our 2022 voluntary recall allows us to remain focused on serving our consumers without the cost and distraction of protracted legal proceedings and does not constitute an admission of the agency’s charges. All Pine-Sol cleaners on shelves today are safe to use as directed."
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Contaminated Products Recalled
The hazard became public in October 2022, when Clorox and the CPSC jointly announced a recall of the affected Pine‑Sol scented cleaners. The recall stated the products may contain bacteria including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an organism commonly found in soil and water.
People with weakened immune systems or those using external medical devices are at heightened risk of serious infection from exposure to the bacteria, the agency warned at the time.
Beyond the multimillion‑dollar penalty, the settlement requires Clorox to strengthen its internal compliance controls, including enhanced procedures to ensure adherence to the Consumer Product Safety Act.
The company must also file annual reports outlining the effectiveness of its compliance program, internal controls, audits, and staff training.
The settlement has been provisionally accepted, pending public comment. The enforcement action was represented by Mark S. Raffman, senior trial attorney in the CPSC’s Division of Enforcement and Litigation.
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