McNeil voluntarily recalls Tylenol Arthritis product

FORT WASHINGTON, Pa. In consultation with the Food and Drug Administration, McNeil Consumer Healthcare on Friday expanded its voluntary recall to include all available product lots of Tylenol Arthritis Pain caplet 100-count bottles, with the distinctive red EZ-Open cap.

In November 2009, five lots of this product were recalled due to consumer reports of an unusual moldy, musty or mildew-like odor that was associated with nausea, stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea. The recall is being expanded, as a precaution, to include all Tylenol Arthritis Pain caplet 100-count bottles with the distinctive red EZ-Open cap.

The uncharacteristic smell is caused by the presence of trace amounts of a chemical called 2,4,6-tribromoanisole. The source of 2,4,6-tribromoanisole is believed to be the breakdown of a chemical used to treat wooden pallets that transport and store packaging materials. The health effects of this compound have not been well studied, and to date all of the observed events reported to McNeil were temporary and non-serious.