The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ordered a local company, Hiro Systems Hawaii LLC, to stop the illegal distribution and sale of its disinfectants and sanitizers.

The EPA said the products are misbranded, unregistered pesticide products under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act.

Additionally, the EPA said Honolulu-based Hiro has made false and misleading claims on their website and social media accounts about these products’ intended uses, effectiveness, and toxicity.

“It’s crucial that residents of Hawaii – and all Americans – can trust that the disinfectants they buy are safe and effective,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman in a news release. “EPA’s stop sale orders are critical to protecting all of us from misleading and harmful claims made by local vendors. Our agency remains vigilant and will continue to remove these illegal disinfectants from circulation.”

A legally binding “stop sale order” has been issued, requiring Hiro to immediately stop the sales or use of the following products: HIRO Proprietary Blend Raw TEG, HOCL Hypo-Chlorus Acid Eco-Friendly Sanitization Solution by Hiro, HIROCL Hypochlorus Acid Sanitization Solution, Clean Republic Disinfectant + Sanitizer, and Side-Kik HOCL Generator.

These products, the EPA said, have been sold at the Hiro store at Ala Moana Center.

A website and social media accounts for the business are no longer online, but a brochure described Hiro products as “revolutionary, safe, and non-toxic sanitization systems and solutions.” The brochure discusses how Hiro was founded as a way to “restore our peace of mind” in response to the COVID-19 pandemic via a “nano atomizing system” for aerial and surface sanitization.

It also says components of its solution were tested and listed by the EPA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Federal Aviation Administration, among others.

“Under the federal FIFRA law, products that claim to kill, destroy, prevent, or repel bacteria or viruses are considered pesticides,” the EPA said in the news release. “All such products distributed or sold in the United States are required to be registered by EPA to ensure they perform as intended and will not harm people, other species, or the environment when used as directed. Consumers who rely on ineffective products to disinfect may face an increased risk of exposure to bacteria or viruses.”