Menards ordered to stop selling pesticides the company claimed could be used against COVID

MADISON – The Environmental Protection Agency is ordering Menards to stop selling two unregistered pesticides marketed as useful against COVID-19.

The company was ordered Thursday to stop selling and distributing the "Antimicrobial Filter" and the "Allergen Filter" because they are treated with unregistered pesticides. The company claimed the two products "could or should be used against COVID-19."

According to a press release from the agency, the Eau Claire-based company was selling the two products online in violation of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. The law requires that pesticides be evaluated through a specific process to ensure the products perform as labeled.

A pesticide cannot be registered until it's determined that the product doesn't pose a risk to humans and the environment when used properly. After evaluation, the products would bear EPA-approved labels, providing safety and application information.

The EPA and Menards did not respond to requests for further comment on the products.

Menards has more than 350 stores across the United States, from Wyoming to Ohio. This includes nearly four dozen locations in Wisconsin. The company brings in an estimated $13 billion in sales, and the owner, John Menard, is the richest person in the state .

Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@jrn.com and on X at @SchulteLaura .

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Menards ordered to stop selling pesticides the company claimed could be used against COVID