99¢ Only Stores fined by EPA for sale of illegal pesticides

The bargain-basement chain 99¢ Only Stores has been hit with a $409,490 fine by the Environmental Protection Agency for selling illegal unregistered and mislabeled pesticides in several household products, the agency announced.

The case against 99¢ Only Stores concerned the sale of three cleaning and pest control products, and the fine levied against the discount chain is the largest contested penalty ever ordered by an EPA judge against a retailer under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).

Out of a total of 166 EPA violations, 164 involved the sale of a household cleaner called "Bref Limpieza y Disinfección Total con Densicloro." [Bref Complete Cleaning and Disinfection with Densicloro], which, despite the pesticide claims on the label, is not registered with EPA. The product was imported from Mexico and claimed (in Spanish) that it disinfects or sanitizes surfaces.

The other two illegal products were "Farmer's Secret Berry & Produce Cleaner," an unregistered pesticide, and "PiC BORIC ACID Roach Killer III," which was mislabeled because EPA-approved labels were upside-down or inside out, making them difficult to read.