On Friday Johnson & Johnson issued a recall of all OTC (over-the-counter) Children’s and Infants’ liquid products manufactured in the United States and distributed in the United States, Canada, and several other countries (for a full list of countries and/or product details, go to http://www.mcneilproductrecall.com/page.jhtml?id=/include/new_recall.inc).
The recall is asserting that these liquid medicines have “manufacturing deficiencies” that may affect the potency, purity or quality of the products. When I called to check whether my products were on the recall list, I found out that all four (4) of my products were affected. Since two of my bottles (Infant’s Tylenol and Infant’s Motrin) were nearing expiration, I was alarmed and worried about what I had been giving my daughters. When I asked the recall hotline for more details and whether I should be concerned, the man read me a very generic statement from the public recall message saying that “some” of these products might have too much of the active ingredient, while “others” might have too little of the active ingredient. Even worse, he mentioned that “some” of these products might have tiny particles in them!
The man continued to regurgitate some generic statements about how the company is doing a “comprehensive quality assessment of their manufacturing operations” and that I would be receiving four replacement coupons for the four tainted products. He then said that I needed to dispose of these products in a very specific manner and to not drain them down the toilet or sink. Instead, I was to pour them into a Ziploc bag, with a little water and coffee grounds, seal up the bag and throw it in the trash.
Here’s what to do if you have non-expired Infant’s or Childrent’s Tylenol, Motrin, Benedryl or Zyrtec in your medicine cabinet:
1) Find out if your products are on the list.
Check this website (http://www.mcneilproductrecall.com/page.jhtml?id=/include/new_recall.inc) or call this number (1-888-222-6036) (Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern Time, and Saturday-Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time) to check the product’s lot numbers.
2) Notify the company.
Call 1-888-222-6036 or go to http://www.mcneilproductrecall.com/ so that you can get coupons to replace the products that you have to dispose of. Note: It will take 4-6 weeks to receive your coupons after you call the hotline.
3) Dispose of your tainted products carefully.
Pour all affected products into a Ziploc bag, add a cup or two of coffee grounds and a little bit of water. Zip up the bag and toss it in the trashcan.
