- Cottonelle has recalled several lots of its disposable wipes due to the possibility that they have been contaminated with bacteria.
- The bacteria is fairly mild, but those with compromised immune systems may be at greater risk of a serious reaction.
- You can request a refund from the company on the recall page.
Everyone is more than a little bit on edge regarding the cleanliness of their homes these days thanks to the coronavirus pandemic that continues to claim lives around the world. Cleaning products like disposable wipes are a highly sought-after item for obvious reasons, and Cottonelle is one of the biggest brands in the business. Unfortunately, the company has been forced to issue a recall of some of its disposable wipes after an investigation revealed that they may be tainted with a bacteria. That’s right, the cleaning wipes had bacteria on them. Oops!
The bacteria, Pluralibacter gergoviae, is relatively mild in terms of the impact it can have on a person. In fact, most people won’t have much of a reaction at all to coming into contact with the bug, but as HealthDigest notes, those with weakened immune systems may be at risk for more serious complications, and Kimberly-Clark, the parent company of Cottonelle, is taking no chances when it comes to making people sick, so it’s issued a recall.
The company has set up a recall page where you can get more information on the specifics of the issue. The potentially contaminated wipes were manufactured between February 7th and September 14, 2020. That’s a very wide range, and you can identify the specific lot code on the packaging to determine if wipes you may have purchased are part of the recall. You can type your lot code into the search feature on the company’s website to see if the wipes you have are included or if they’re safe to use.
In a statement on the site, the company notes that there have been some complaints from those who have purchased the contaminated wipes:
“The affected product could show the presence of a bacterium (Pluralibacter gergoviae) which naturally occurs in the environment and in the human body,” the company says. “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 is also quick to note that the recall and the bacteria detected have nothing to do with COVID-19. The company states that there’s “no evidence to support the transmission of COVID-19 associated with any of [its] products.” If you happen to have some of the contaminated wipes, you can go ahead and toss them, as you won’t need to return them in order to receive a refund for your purchase price.
