Manufacturers must put their products through rigorous testing in order to comply with health and safety regulations, and all products must be suitable for their intended use and should not cause harm or injury to the consumer using them.
Both the BBC and The Daily Mail have recently reported that Procter & Gamble have recalled around 120,000 bottles of Vicks Sinex Nasal spray after small traces of a bacteria were found in the product following routine testing (news source here and here).
According to the reports routine testing in Germany has indicated there may be traces of the B cepacia bacteria which has been known to cause illness and serious infections in people with weak immune systems or underlying lung conditions. So far there have been no reports of any person falling ill from the product.
A statement on the Vicks website (www.vicks.co.uk/warning) states that The Proctor & Gamble Company are voluntarily recalling the product in the United Kingdom, United States, and Germany as a “precautionary step” following the discovery of the bacterial trace during routine quality controlling.
In the UK, lot number 9224028832 of the 15ml Vicks Sinex Micromist Aqueous Nasal Spray Solution bottles are being recalled, and notification from the website for UK consumers have given the following helpline for information in case they are worried: 0800 5555 15.
Consumers who have suffered or been injured due to the use of a product are eligible to claim for the compensation they legally entitled to.
The legislation is covered under the Sale of Goods Act 1979: the goods sold must be of a satisfactory quality and must be safe to use. If they re not, the supplier is in breach of contract and is liable for any suffering the consumer endures (source).
This recent example is not presently a worst case scenario, unless a consumer with above mentioned underlying conditions uses the product; then we could be looking at a different story all together. And it’s the reason why manufacturers and sellers have a duty of care to ensure their products are completely safe to use.
Another example: You may recall the sofa fiasco whereby a particular leather sofa treated in China has caused users to suffer severe rashes; a story we recently wrote about ourselves (source).
If you have purchased a product and have been injured or suffered as a result of its use, you may be eligible to claim for compensation.
Our advice is to contact an independent expert personal injury solicitor and find out where you stand. As independent expert personal injury solicitors ourselves, we are on your side!