Earlier this year, the National Wooden Pallet & Container Association (NWPCA) issued a fact sheet regarding a chemical called tribromophenol (TBP) which can break down to form 2,4,6-tibromoanisole. When broken down, this substance has been associated with a strong odor that produces nausea, stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea. It has been traced to some wooden pallets that were treated with the chemical in South America. However, TBP is not a registered pesticide with the Environmental Protection Agengy (EPA) and is not legal for sale or use in the United States. It is also banned in Europe.

The wooden pallets that Alpha Packaging and Technigraph use do not contain TBP or 2,4,6-tibromoanisole, and we have received letters of assurance from all of our pallet suppliers stating that our pallets are free of these chemicals. Because all of our pallets are manufactured domestically, our pallet suppliers have told us that no further action (such as heat treating the pallets) is necessary to ensure their safety. At this time, Alpha does not intend to start heat treating our pallets. However, if customers wish to have their pallets heat-treated, the cost is $15 per GMA heat-treated pallet and they should indicate on their Purchase Order if they require heat-treated pallets.

Concern about TBP and 2,4,6-tibromoanisole arose because of an isolated incident that surfaced in November 2009. In that incident, 2,4,6-tibromoanisol was found on a small number of boxes of TYLENOL Arthritis Pain Medication. In response to complaints from consumers about the strong smell and unpleasant side effects, Johnson & Johnson (the parent company of McNeil Consumer Products, the maker of TYLENOL) announced a voluntary recall of affected products on December 18, 2009. There have been no additional reports of consumers or employees becoming ill.