FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ENR TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 1996 (202) 616-2771 TDD (202) 514-1888 UNITED STATES FILES SUIT AGAINST THE DISTRIBUTORS OF BOGUS DRINKING WATER FILTERS WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The United States today charged the owners of an Oregon water filter company and its affiliates with selling drinking water filters and purifiers that were not registered with EPA and making false health and safety claims about their products' effectiveness. The civil suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Portland by the United States Department of Justice on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Trade Commission. It alleges that the defendants -- two individuals and the four Oregon corporations with which they were affiliated -- sold certain water filtering and purification devices with inaccurate claims that they made water clean and safe to drink. The complaint seeks a court order preventing the defendants from selling these products until they comply with federal law. The defendants sold an estimated $2.8 million worth of these filters in 1993 and 1994 alone. The filters and purifiers contain silver or iodine and claim to eliminate bacteria, viruses and parasites from contaminated drinking water and are considered pesticides by the EPA. The company claimed such substances disinfect contaminated drinking water. Because they contain pesticides, the water filters and purifiers are required to be registered with the EPA before they can be sold or distributed. The EPA will not register a pesticide unless it does what it is supposed to do safely. The water filters and purifiers, which come in straws, canteens and water bottles, were sold by the defendants under the "Accufilter" tradename. They were advertised for use in outdoor sports, camping and travel. They include: þ The Accufilter 5 purifier straw, canteen and sports bottle containing activated carbon and iodine, said to be capable of effectively purifying up to 40 gallons of water contaminated by bacteria, protozoa, viruses and parasites; making water "safe" to drink. þ The Accufilter 3 filter straws containing activated carbon and silver, said to be capable of filtering 50 gallons of water, removing the taste of chlorine, heavy metals, herbicides, pesticides, organic poisons and other particulate matter causing bad taste, odor and color from water. The filter was advertised as making water "clean" to drink. According to the complaint, the defendants claimed the filters and purifiers made untreated water clean and safe to drink by removing all bacteria, viruses and harmful chemicals. The complaint further alleges that scientific tests proved that the claims about the effectiveness of the purifiers were false and misleading. The EPA believes that while activated carbon in the filters will reduce levels of herbicides, pesticides, metals and chlorine in water, it does not eliminate them. Moreover, activated carbon with silver does not eliminate all bacteria in water and cannot remove protozoa and viruses. "People buy water filters and purifiers for one reason -- so they can enjoy clean water. The defendants in this case violated the public trust and put profit ahead of the health and welfare of their customers," said Lois J. Schiffer, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Environment and Natural Resources Division. "Registration of pesticides is critically important," said Jed Januch, a pesticides compliance officer at EPA's regional headquarters in Seattle. "People who buy products such as water filters and purifiers are depending on them to protect their health." The complaint asks the Court to bar the defendants from selling these or similar water filters in the United States and abroad unless defendants comply with EPA requirements. The complaint also seeks an injunction prohibiting defendants from future violations of the Federal Trade Commission Act in connection with the sale of any water filter or purification product, and in connection with any health or safety claim for any sporting or camping equipment, and such other relief as the Court finds necessary to redress injury to consumers. According to the complaint, the defendants sold the unregistered water filters to buyers throughout the United States and abroad. The complaint also alleges that the illegal sales and misrepresentations continued even after an EPA administrative law judge in 1994 imposed a $70,000 civil penalty against one of the companies and after one of the owners -- Bruce Spangrud -- had been indicted for knowingly falsifying information about the water filters in an attempt to secure EPA approval of the filters. Spangrud was found guilty in a jury trial and is now serving a 10-month prison sentence. Because the $70,000 civil penalty has never been paid, the complaint also seeks payment of the penalty. In addition to Spangrud, Barbara Calise was also named as a defendant along with a succession of business ventures (all Oregon corporations) that she and Spangrud co-owned: Accuventure, Inc., Accufilter International, Inc., Outdoor Dynamics, Inc. and World Sector, Inc. All the firms were based in Beaverton, Oregon, except for World Sector, which is based in Tigard, Oregon. ### 96-181