FTC Providing Checks to Nano-UV Disinfectant Consumers

The Federal Trade Commission is mailing out restitution checks to consumers who bought an ultraviolet light disinfectant device said to kill 99.9 percent of germs, bacteria and viruses.

According to the FTC, manufacturer Zadro Health Solutions claimed that its UV devices could kill dangerous microorganisms but did not back up these claims with any scientific evidence.

More than 2,000 checks will be sent to U.S. consumers who purchased either a Nano-UV Disinfectant Scanner, Nano-UV Wand or a Nano-UV Water Disinfectant. Those who receive checks from the FTC have until May 18, 2016 to cash it.

The lawsuit pursued by the FTC accused Zadro of falsely stating that its UV disinfectant devices could eliminate germs and viruses such as E. coli in as little as 10 seconds of light exposure without proof to these claims.

According to the FTC, consumers who purchased one of Zadro’s UV devices are told that if they hold the disinfectant and perform a 10 second sweep of any surface, 99.9 percent of germs and bacteria will be killed. Those who bought the water disinfectant were told that they could eliminate mold and fungus on water surfaces in 40 seconds, the lawsuit stated.

Although the Nano-UV devices are not available through Zadro, they still sell online from other sites for an average between $50 to $150 per item.

“Consumers have suffered and will continue to suffer substantial injury as a result of defendants’ violations of the FTC Act,” the complaint read. “In addition, defendants have been unjustly enriched as a result of their unlawful acts or practices. Absent injunctive relief by this court, defendants are likely to continue to injure consumers, reap unjust enrichment and harm the public interest.”

The FTC sought a permanent injunction to prevent the company from future FTC Act violations as well as a redress of injuries including refunding customers for their purchases.

Zadro has been selling UV disinfectant devices to U.S. customers through their own website and other retailers including SkyMall, Amazon and Target since January 2011, according to the FTC.

The FTC lawsuit further mentioned that other products sold by Zadro including oxygen rejuvenation, mood enticement lighting and personal relaxation tools are not implicated through this complaint.

If you have any additional questions about the Zadro lawsuit or the payments from the FTC, call the the Federal Trade Commission hotline at 1-866-683-8516.

The UV device lawsuit was prosecuted by Jonathan E. Nuechterlein, James R. Golder, Susan E. Arthur and Barbara Chun of the Federal Trade Commission.

The Zadro UV Disinfectant Device Lawsuit is Federal Trade Commission v. Zadro Health Solutions Inc., Case No. 8:15-cv-01314, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

UPDATE: February 2017, the FTC announced that it will be mailing a second round of refund checks to customers who purchased a Nano UV disinfectant device. Those who receive both rounds of refund checks will recoup 98 percent of their loss, according to the FTC.