Listerine Cool Blue Mouthwash for Children is Recalled

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced that Johnson & Johnson has begun a voluntary nationwide of nearly 4 million bottles of Listerine Agent Cool Blue Plaque-Detecting Rinse because it is contaminated with bacteria.

So much for the "Listerine Fights Germs" slogan. I guess Listerine has met its match.

The concept of the rinse is cool: The blue coloring sticks to plaque showing kids where, how long, and how hard to brush their teeth. While the risk is said to be low in healthy people, the company says, "There could be a significant risk to individuals with weakened or depressed immune systems."

The bacteria found included klebsiella oxytoca, which can cause urinary tract infections and blood poisoning; serratia marcecens, linked to blood stream infections; enterobacter cloacae, tied to respiratory infections; and pseudomonas fluorescens, which is harmless to most people, according to the Dallas News.

It will be interesting to see how Johnson & Johnson handles the PR and marketing of the recall. The company proved itself to be a deft reputation manager back in 1982, when a Tylenol cyanide tampering scare in Chicago killed seven people. J&J's handling of the crisis is considered "a case study of how to deal with a brand crisis," said Mark Bard, president of Manhattan Research. The company spend $100 million on the recall, back when that was a lot of money, and it took just a few months to regain consumer confidence.

throw out this stuff !!

WOW ! I knew this looked familiar, and there it was - right on our bathroom counter! Mom had just bought this for the boys... last week. She has of course poured it al down the drain and already filed a refund claim.

Now if I can just keep the pets alive, and the Ford Escape on the road (less recalls) we too, will all survive!

Best regards,
Bob VL