Recalls are a fact of consumer life, but with so many products, it’s sometimes hard to keep track. And some recalls are more serious than others, depending on the risk to consumers and the reason for the recalls.
Here are five ongoing recalls worth checking your fridge, cupboards and cleaning closet shelves for in case you have these products:
Cleaning products
Clorox is recalling close to 37 million bottles of Pine-Sol products.
“Clorox said some of the affected Pine-Sol products might contain a bacteria called Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which can harm people with compromised immune systems or people with external medical devices because they pose ‘a risk of serious infection that may require medical treatment,’ according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission,” CNN Business reports.
The Associated Press points out that the recall “doesn’t include its iconic original pine-scented Pine-Sol, which is its only product registered as a disinfectant.”
No injuries have been reported, but the manufacturer says to stop using the product immediately. The recall includes Pine-Sol scented multisurface cleaners in various scents, CloroxPro Pine-Sol all-purpose cleaners (also various scents) and Clorox Professional Pine-Sol lemon fresh cleaner made between January 2021 and September 2022 at the company’s Forest Park, Georgia, manufacturing plant. The bottles being recalled have date codes with the prefix A4 and a five-digit number less than 22249, a notice on the Consumer Product Safety Commission recall page says.
Consumers should take a picture of the 12-digit UPC code and the date code and throw the product away, then contact the company for a refund.
Sausage
Bob Evans Italian pork sausage is being recalled, an effort that includes more than 7,560 pounds, due to potential contamination with “blue pieces of rubber,” according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.
The sausage that’s been recalled was made Sept. 8, 2022, and has a use or freeze by date of Nov. 26, 2022. The 1-pound chubs have a lot code XEN3663466, with a time stamp between 14:43 and 15:25.
The products have an establishment number of “EST. 6785” inside the USDA mark of inspection. The items were sold in retail locations nationwide, the agency said.
No injuries have been reported in connection with the recall.
Dry shampoo
The nationwide dry shampoo recall by Unilever includes aerosol products, which contain “elevated levels of benzene, a human carcinogen,” according to CBS News. The article notes that “the recall is the latest of a half dozen so far this year with the cancer-causing chemical showing up in products including deodorant, hand sanitizer and sunscreen.”
Benzene is considered dangerous and is high on the Food and Drug Administration’s list of solvents that should be strictly avoided.
The brands of dry shampoo whose aerosols are being recalled include products made before October 2021 from Dove, Nexxus, Suave, TIGI (Rockaholic and Bed Head) and TRESemmé, according to the recall notice published by the FDA.
In a recall notice, Unilever said that “based on an independent health hazard evaluation, daily exposure to benzene in the recalled products at the levels detected in testing would not be expected to cause adverse health consequences. Unilever U.S. is recalling these products out of an abundance of caution. Unilever has received no reports of adverse events to date relating to this recall.”
A more complete list of recalled products is online. UnileverRecall.com has instructions for getting reimbursement.
Heating pad
The Mighty Bliss electric heating pad is being recalled by Whele LLC, according to an announcement on the FDA recall pages. The company said the heating pads included in the recall could lead to “burns, mild shocks, or rashes and irritation.”
It said the 544,212 affected hearing pads were made between January 2021 and January 2022 and were sold from July 2021 to July 2022 on Amazon.com and Walmart.com.
The notice says to stop using the pad, unplug the cord and cut it off, then take a picture showing the device can no longer be used and upload it to the company’s recall website, where consumers can learn how to get a refund.
CPAP machine
Millions of continuous positive airway pressure machines made by Philips to treat sleep apnea have been the subject of a lingering — and according to The Associated Press, a very frustrating — recall because it has taken so long.
The issue is sound-dampening foam that may break down over time, “leading users to potentially inhale tiny black particles or hazardous chemicals while they sleep,” according to the initial recall notice.
AP said the repair process, which will stretch into 2023, has “left many patients to choose between using a potentially harmful device or trying risky remedies, including removing the foam themselves, buying second-hand machines online or simply going without the therapy.”
Left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to sluggishness and risk of dangerous health challenges, including heart attack. “Most patients are better off using a recalled device because the risks of untreated sleep apnea still outweigh the potential harms of the disintegrating foam, physicians say,” according to the AP.
Per the Food and Drug Administration, a number of models have been recalled, including several DreamStation models. The list includes not only CPAP machines but a type called a BiPAP, which uses high pressure as you breathe in and lower pressure when you breathe out to help keep airways open and people breathing as they sleep. Several ventilator models are also included.
Potential risks from inhaling the foam can include headache, dizziness, irritation in the eyes, nose, respiratory tract or skin, allergic reactions, nausea or vomiting and possible toxic and cancer-causing effects, the FDA said.