Cottonelle disposable wipes manufactured between February 7 and September 14 have been listed for recall by the company. These batches of production were found to be contaminated with the Pluralibacter gergoviae bacteria which could be fatal for people with a weakened immune system. Users could return them for a refund or just toss them to avoid the risks of contracting a bacteria infection.
Given the apparent threats posed by the coronavirus pandemic and the need to always disinfect surfaces with bacterial wipes, thousands of customers bought Cottonelle bacteria wipes and other brands to decontaminate surfaces in their homes, offices, and cars. However, it is interesting to learn that a disposable wipe that is supposed to destroy bacteria and even viruses is now being recalled because it is tainted with bacteria and could cause infections to users.
Kimberly-Clark, the parent company of Cottonelle, created recall page with FAQs for the contaminated batch of Cottonelle products. To be sure that your purchased disposable wipes are not part of those listed for recall, users can enter a lot of code into the search function of the company’s website. The company disclosed that they have received a few complaints from people who seemed to have the tainted bacteria wipes.
“The affected product could show the presence of a bacterium (Pluralibacter gergoviae) which naturally occurs in the environment and in the human body,” Kimberly-Clark wrote. “Pluralibacter gergoviae rarely causes serious infections in healthy individuals. However, individuals with weakened immune systems are at a heightened risk of infection. At this time there is a low rate of non-serious complaints, such as irritation and minor infection, reported for the affected wipes.”
The company also assures customers that the recalled wipes are not tainted with coronavirus and have not been found to be capable of spreading COVID-19. They said there is no evidence whatsoever that the listed batch of products is contaminated with coronavirus. They also made it clear that customers do not need to return the tainted products to receive a refund which will be processed within 3-6 weeks.
“If you have submitted a request for reimbursement, you should expect to receive it within 3-6 weeks, once our team has verified your information,” the company said. “There is no need to return the product to a store. Please stop using the product and write down the lot codes on the bottom of each package. Once you have collected the lot codes from the package, simply throw the product away at home.”
The affected products were distributed in the US, Canada, and the Caribbean.
Source: bgr.com