Detergent Found in Robitussin; Manufacturer Being Sued

An elderly New York couple has sued American Home Products after swallowing the contents of a sealed bottle of Robitussin cough syrup that contained an industrial detergent. The product, according to the plaintiffs' attorney, Cory Rosenbaum, was tampered with, similar to the cyanide-laced Tylenol cases in 1982.

The unnamed couple claimed that AHP was negligent in packaging the product. There have been no recalls of the product as a result of the suit.

Jack Rosette, forensic packaging scientist and president of Forensic Packaging Concepts Inc. (Tannersville, PA), who has authored two books on product packaging, said that AHP began packaging Robitussin with a tamper-evident PVC seal after several people died from cyanide-laced Tylenol. However, the company stopped using the plastic-wrap on Robitussin in the early 1990s when publicity about tampering died down.

Rosette, whose company specializes in product tampering prevention and detection, said the packaging system that included the PVC overwrap was substantially more effective at resisting tampering than the one used on the bottle involved in the lawsuit and the one the company currently uses. These bottles feature a mechanical band closure without an overwrap, nor is there an induction seal on the bottle.

Although the plastic cap incorporates a tamper-evident dropdown ring, Rosette believes that the bottle still could have been tampered with. "This package is not as effective against tampering as the previous package," Rosette told Packaging Network.

The Suffolk County Police Department later today is allowing Rosette and people from American Home Products, to examine the Robitussin bottle at issue in the suit.