Generic Acetaminophen Tainted With Metal

Generic brands of acetaminophen sold at major retailers like Wal-Mart, Safeway, and CVS have been recalled because of possible contamination with fragments of metal.

All told, 11 million bottles that were manufactured by a company called Perrigo Co. and privately labeled under a variety of generic brand names have been pulled off the shelves. The bottles in question contain 500 mg caplets of acetaminophen.

The contaminated bottles contain fragments of metal that range in size from "microdots" to pieces of wire that are a third of an inch long. Perrigo reports that the contamination is the result of premature wearing of equipment that is used to manufacture their pills.

Although swallowing such metal fragments is unlikely to result in serious physical injury, ingesting the larger bits of metal found in contaminated bottles can potentially create minor cuts and/or discomfort in the mouth, throat, and the rest of the gastrointestinal tract.