Amazon agrees to pay $2.5M after Washington state investigation into pesticide sales
Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) has agreed to pay $2.5 million after the Washington state's Attorney General's Office claimed the tech giant allowed illegal sales of industrial-use pesticides on its marketplace, according to a consent decree filed Monday in King County Superior Court.
The settled lawsuit comes from an investigation conducted by Attorney General Bob Ferguson's office into pesticides that are required by Washington state law to be sold by retailers holding specific licenses. Ferguson alleged that Amazon failed to inform customers the pesticides were agricultural and industrial-use only and posed higher risks to human health.
Amazon is a powerful corporation but its not above the law, Ferguson said. I will continue to serve as an independent watchdog to protect consumers and our environment, and ensure that major Washington company complies with the law.
Ferguson's office said in a news release that depending on the pesticide, it could cause anything from skin irritation to neurological damage. It could also impact juvenile salmon populations, threatening a food source for southern resident killer whales.
https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2021/11/23/amazon-washington-ag-pesticide-investigation.html