STEM chemicals

The reports, as CPSC published them

1. No one hurt

   Made Aug 30, 2022 · , sent to the company Oct 20, 2022 · , published by CPSC Nov 3, 2022

   The product, in the report: Pump Spray of STEM insecticide Purchase date: July 2022

   Dear [REDACTED]: I’m writing about your product STEM. What a horrible product. Your advertising says “safe for kids and pets”. Your directions do say “safe anywhere in the home” and warns “slippery when wet” on the front and rear labels. But these don’t cover how dangerous this product is. Let me start by saying I am handicapped with severe mobility issues and I am at high risk for Covid, so all my groceries are delivered. I bought STEM because the store did not have [REDACTED]. What I wanted it for, was to spray around baseboards and on the exit door steps to get any bugs before they crawl into the house. [REDACTED] is a superior product. On Tuesday July 26, I sprayed STEM around the baseboard in my first floor half­bath since I had seen one stray carpenter ant on the ceramic tile floor. The smell is almost overpoweringly offensive, so I left the exhaust fan running for days. On Thursday, I checked the bathroom and saw the STEM had not dried, and I could see wet puddles around the baseboard. I tried soaking those up with paper towels, not an easy task, but I used my cane to push the paper towels along the floor. When I had a visitor on Friday July 29, she thought the floor was too slippery, and she mopped it with a [REDACTED]. The fan was still running as the smell from the STEM was still offensive. By Tuesday August 2, the floor felt dry to the touch but slick. I tried it with the tip of my rubber-soled shoes, and it was still slippery. My friend came to visit again on Friday August 5. She scrubbed the door with dish liquid - it cuts grease. The floor is ok now. That downstairs bathroom was out of commission for over a week. I’m glad I have other bathrooms on the second floor, and a Stairlift to be able to go upstairs, although what used to be a quick trip to the restroom had become a 20 minute journey. I am also very glad I did not use STEM anywhere else in the house. Most of the first floor has ceramic tile floors, particularly at the exit doors, so I would have been trapped. In preparing this letter, I looked carefully at the label to try to determine who manufacturers this product. I realized the rear label could be pried up, but I had to use a knife to do this, as it is really glued on tight. I can’t imagine how anyone would do that in a store before buying the product, as a knife is necessary. Anyway, after reading the precautions and warnings, I was horrified. To summarize what the instructions say: Do not spray into the air; spray on an insect only when it lands/sits someplace; wipe the wall immediately to avoid staining; if any STEM gets on the floor, immediately wipe it up with a cloth, and wash the area with soapy water; and if you want to get rid of a partially-used bottle, call the local solid waste authority for disposal instructions; never pour down an indoor or outdoor drain. And it’s exempt from the registration with the EPA!! So this is TOXIC AND HAZARDOUS WASTE ????? You call this safe for kids and pets???? I think the reason you hide all these instructions under a label that requires a knife to pry up, is that if a consumer could read them easily, they wouldn’t buy the product. I certainly wouldn’t have ---1 can do better with a flyswatter, and if the bug is on-the-hoof, I can just squirt it with hair spray. Both are much safer and easier options. Someone might be suckered into buying STEM once, but I doubt they’ll ever buy it again. I know I won’t. You owe me a refund of $8.00 (cash or check, no coupons) for the cost of this garbage. STEM is a useless and dangerous product and should be taken off the market.

   [REDACTED]

   UPC

   4650003278

   Bought from

   Shoprite, New Jersey

   Where

   Bedminster, New Jersey: Home/Apartment/Condominium

   Who was involved

   Age 72, Female

   The reporter’s relation to them

   Self

   As this report names them

   Brand STEM, made or sold by S. C. Johnson & Son, Inc.

   How badly, in CPSC’s words

   Incident, No Injury

CPSC’s disclaimer

Sources