The Poison Review

The FDA and McNeil Consumer Healthcare announced that a recall of products initiated last month has been expanded to include all lots of Tylenol Arthritis Pain Caplets 100-count bottles with a red EZ-OPEN cap.  Consumers had complained of a strange musty, moldy, or mildewy odor that they associated with nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.  According to McNeil and the FDA, the culprit seems to be 2,4,6-tribromoanisole (TBA), a breakdown product of a chemical used to treat the wooden pallets on which the Tylenol Caplets are stored and transported.  The FDA release stated that although the health effects of TBA have not be well studied, all reported effects have been mild and self-limited.  Interestingly, TBA has also been associated with defective wine having a “musty” or “corked” character.