ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, April 20, 1997 TAG: 9704210149
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A11 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: PROVIDENCE, R. I.
Toy giant Hasbro Inc. was fined $120,000 and ordered to retract claims that its new antibacterial toys will protect children from germs.
Hasbro spokesman Wayne Charness complained that the penalty was ``unwarranted'' but said the company will not appeal Friday's order from the Environmental Protection Agency.
``It's a nuance of language; we think we've been making appropriate claims from the beginning,'' he said Saturday.
Nine of Hasbro's Playskool toys are treated with the antibacterial agent Microban, which is permanently bonded in tiny pellets to plastic or fiber. Hasbro officials claimed it stopped mold, mildew, fungi and bacteria, including E. coli, staph, salmonella and strep.
Microban is registered by the EPA as inhibiting bacterial growth in plastic but has not been approved for public health claims for humans, the EPA said.
The agency ordered Hasbro to relabel products on store shelves within 90 days.
-ASSOCIATED PRESS
LENGTH: Short : 30 linesby CNB