Tylenol Recall

Children’s medicine, such as Tylenol, Motrin, Zyrtec, and Benadryl are being recalled. In the beginning, on April 30, the Tylenol recall press release stated that “This recall is not being undertaken on the basis of adverse medical events. However, as a precautionary measure, parents and caregivers should not administer these products to their children. Some of the products included in the recall may contain a higher concentration of active ingredients than is specified; others may contain inactive ingredients that may not meet internal testing requirements; and others may contain tiny particles.” Tylenol earned points for starting this voluntary recall but some half truths were found.
In a recent article I noticed that the company was recalling the medicine because the “said products fail to meet the desired quality standards of the company”. This seems to me, as if the products were not up to code, such as inactive ingredients. However, when reading through an article by Ryan Christopher DeVault, he stated: “the company should have been required to divulge that the products they had sold to the consumer could have contained bacteria in them”.
The bacterium found in the products is called Burkholderia cepacia, which is a bacterium often resistant to common antibiotics. This group of bacteria can be found in soil and water, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC states “B. cepacia poses little medical risk to healthy people…weakened immune systems…may be more susceptible to infections with B. cepacia”.
Some good news is that the “recalled products may be returned for a refund or exchanged for a fresh product once the manufacturing issues have been resolved”. Also, this same article by Daniel J. DeNoon says that “parents should not give children adult formulation of the medications. Alternative brands of the products are available”. The number of units being recalled is said to be huge. This is understandable because it is not only affecting the United States but also other places such as Canada, Puerto Rico, Kuwait and Fiji to name a few.
Having news coverage on this sort of topic is essential. Many young children are taking medicine everyday and if the caregivers do not know the risks, it could end badly. I think that the media is doing a great job at keeping people informed, although knowing the whole truth would be beneficial. If there are bacteria in the medicine, the consumers have a right to know. I do not think that the companies should be trying to cover it up by doing a voluntary recall and saying that it is because of “active or inactive ingredients”. They should fess up and say that there may be bacteria and tiny particles in the medicine. It is understandable however, that the company is trying to keep their businesses running.