The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has formally classified an ongoing hand soap recall as a Class II action, confirming that six products distributed by Intercon Chemical Co. of St. Louis across 15 states may be contaminated with bacteria capable of causing serious infections, including pneumonia, urinary tract infections and bloodstream infections.

The FDA issued its enforcement report on September 11, assigning Class II status to a voluntary recall that Intercon Chemical Co. had first initiated on June 29. A Class II classification indicates that use of or exposure to the affected product could cause temporary or medically reversible health problems, while the probability of more serious adverse health consequences is considered remote, though not eliminated, particularly for vulnerable individuals.

According to the FDA, two of the six recalled soap products tested positive for potential contamination with multiple strains of Pseudomonas and Serratia bacteria, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Serratia marcescens. Both species are recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as common environmental bacteria typically found in soil and water, but both are also capable of causing significant infections in humans, particularly when they enter the bloodstream or come into contact with compromised tissue. According to the CDC, Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the species most likely among the two to cause bloodstream infections, pneumonia or urinary tract infections, while Serratia marcescens has been linked to a........

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