AG Ferguson: Amazon will pay $2.5 million over illegal sales of regulated pesticides

 

Amazon ignored laws regarding the sale of agricultural and industrial-use pesticides that risk harm to human health and the environment

SEATTLE — Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced that Seattle-based online retailer Amazon will pay $2.5 million for selling highly regulated pesticides on its online platform without a license and without collecting information about their use as required by law.

Washington law regulates the sale of agricultural and industrial-use pesticides because they pose higher risks to human health and the environment. Businesses that sell these pesticides are required by law to hold specific licenses and maintain records about their sales and use. 

Amazon failed to inform Washingtonians on the product pages, checkout pages or anywhere else that these regulated agricultural and industrial-use pesticides were different from regular home and garden products. 

Amazon’s conduct created the impression that anyone could lawfully buy and use the pesticides without restriction.

In addition to paying $2.5 million, Amazon is required to obtain a license in the future if it restarts sales of these regulated pesticides. The consent decree, filed in King County Superior Court, requires Amazon to enact specific and legally enforceable corporate reforms, including putting safeguards in place on its site to block illegal sales of these pesticides. 

It must not allow third-party sellers on its site to sell these dangerous pesticides to customers in Washington unless it provides a way for those sellers to comply with Washington’s record-keeping requirements.

The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection and Environmental Protection divisions conducted the investigation.

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