If You Have This Popular Hair Spray, Get Rid of It Now, FDA Warns
The latest recall concerns a potentially dangerous contaminant in your bathroom.
While the seemingly endless expansion of the peanut butter recall has been commanding headlines around the U.S. in recent days, another potentially dangerous product could be lurking in your bathroom right now. Read on to find out what popular hair spray is being recalled and why it's potentially a hazard, plus what to do if you have any in your bathroom right now.
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Peanut butter product recalls have dominated the news since May 20.
Because of the widespread scope of related products, the Jif peanut butter recall is making big news in recent days. On May 20, the J. M. Smucker Co. announced it was recalling select Jif peanut butter products sold in the U.S. The recalled peanut butter was distributed nationwide in retail stores and other outlets. The recalled products include a wide array of Jif crunchy, creamy, and natural peanut butter in various sizes and package types, all named on May 20 on the website for the Food & Drug Administration (FDA).
After the initial Jif recall posted, many additional product recalls followed suit, as these products also contain some of the potentially tainted peanut butter. It began on May 21, with Wawa announcing a recall on two products containing Jif, per the FDA website. Then on May 23, Cargill released a recall notice on more related products—and the cascade of related recalls continued throughout the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
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The latest potential hazard could be lurking in your bathroom, not your kitchen.
The latest recall concerns Alterna hair spray. Sa isangrecall notice dated May 26 and posted to the website for the FDA on May 27, Henkel Corporation announced it was voluntarily recalling 180 bottles of its 4.2-ounce Alterna Bond Repair Leave-in Heat Protection Spray.
The recalled hair spray could be contaminated with bacteria that could be dangerous to people with existing health problems.
The reason for the recall is that the Alterna hair spray has the potential to be contaminated with burkholderia cepacia kumplikado. The group of bacteria "poses little medical risk to healthy people," according to the FDA statement, but can cause an "increased risk for illness or infection" in people who have certain health problems, like weakened immune systems, chronic lung diseases, chronic granulomatous disease, or wound infections. People who have underlying lung disease (especially cystic fibrosis) might also be at increased risk.
The company found the potential hazard in some of its bottles as a result of testing. Fortunately, there have been no reports of injury so far.
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Here's what to do if you have any of the recalled hair spray at home right now.
The Alterna Bond Repair Leave-in Heat Protection Spray named in the recall comes in a 4.2-ounce, purple plastic spray bottle. Affected bottles are marked with lot Y401427403 on the underside. They were distributed nationwide and were for sale to the public not earlier than April 12, 2022.
If you bought a bottle that matches this description, the notice urges you to return it to the store where you got it in exchange for a full refund.
"We seek to minimize all inconvenience this may cause consumers and are committed to their complete satisfaction," the brand notes in the recall statement. To that end, consumers with questions about this recall can contact dedicated customer specialists at 888-4ALTERNA or via email at [email protected]. This customer service line is operational Monday through Thursday from 6 am to 4 pm PST, and Friday from 6 am to 2 pm PST. On weekends and after working hours, an automated message system will provide callers with information on how to reach a back-up call center.
If you have any medical questions—or think you might have symptoms—you should contact your doctor right away.
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