Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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The San Francisco Examiner - Wednesday, October 22, 1997
Zachary Coile of the Examiner Staff
Ansell Personal Products ordered 57 million condoms from its Prime, Contempo and best-selling Lifestyles line off the shelves, the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday. The New Jersey-based company issued the order after finding some of the condoms may deteriorate before their expiration dates.
"There may be no need to push the alarm button yet," said Keith Pyne, a volunteer with the Stop AIDS Project, a San Francisco-based prevention group. "But if there is demonstrable evidence that the condoms could have failed, and if people know they have used them, then clearly they need to be tested."
Ansell officials said the company could not determine exactly which batches of condoms might fail, so it was recalling each variety to be safe, FDA officials said.
The news raised concerns among many in the Castro District, where condoms have been seen as a critical line of defense against exposure to the HIV virus.
"I find it alarming if they're calling them back," said Mario Minglana, a 30-year-old Castro resident. He expects many people will rush to their cabinet drawers to "see if the condoms they've been using are safe."
The FDA is asking consumers to check the condoms they use to make sure they hadn't purchasedany of the recalled brands.
The Walgreen's store at 18th and Castro streets had already pulled the brands off its shelves by Tuesday night. Assistant store manager Edward Cunanan said the chain took all such recalls "very seriously."
The Health Department, which supplies free condoms to some merchants and prevention groups, said it appeared its supply of condoms were not on the recall list.
Tracey Packer, a health educator at The City's AIDS office, said the department's supplier had told her he stocked only one of the products - Lifestyles Extra-Strength with Spermicide - which was rarely ordered. Packer said she urged people to take the recall seriously, but not to be overly alarmed.
"It doesn't mean that all of (the condoms) have a problem," Packer said. "It means they want to check them out - not that they're all going to break."
San Francisco's public high schools also distribute condoms through health educators. Unified District spokeswoman Gail Kaufman said the school's health programs office would look into whether any of the recalled brands had been handed out.
Monty Hill, 27, of the Sunset, said he was glad the FDA was watching out for condom quality.
Consumers can call the company at 1-800-883-3434 between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. PDT, or send recalled condoms to Ansell Inc., Consumer Relations Department, 1500 Industrial Road, Dothan AL 36303.
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