Bayer has issued an afrin recall for nearly 800,000 travel-size Afrin nasal spray bottles after regulators said the packaging was not child-resistant and lacked a required labeling statement. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall on Thursday and said customers who bought the product are entitled to a refund.
The recall covers 786,100 unexpired 6 mL bottles of Travel Size Afrin Original Nasal Spray, sold nationwide in 1/5 FL OZ (6 mL) packaging. The affected bottles carry lot numbers 230361, 240822, 241198, 250066, 250152, 250646 and 250831.
The safety concern is straightforward and serious: if a young child swallows the contents, the product could pose a risk of poisoning, leading to serious injury or illness. No injuries have been reported so far, but the packaging problem is enough to trigger a recall because the bottles do not meet child-resistant and labeling requirements.
Thursday’s action puts Bayer in the same position any consumer health maker faces when packaging fails a basic safety test. The product itself is still unexpired, which means households may still have it on hand, and that is what makes the recall immediate rather than routine. The company and the CPSC are asking buyers to act now, not after the bottle is used up.
The larger question has already been answered by the recall itself: the bottles were not safe in the form they were sold, and customers are entitled to get their money back. For families with young children, the next step is simple — check the label, match the lot number and stop using any bottle covered by the recall.
