A consumer health warning has been issued and anyone who has purchased or consumed Tylenol’s Arthritis caplets from the 100 count package needs to be on alert and discontinue taking the medication.

McNeil Consumer Healthcare and the FDA are recalling all available product lots of the Tylenol Arthritis 100-count bottole of caplets with the EZ-OPEN CAP. The start of the recall occured back in November of 2009 because there were consumer complaints lodged about a moldy or mildewy smell  present in the medication. This odor triggered related issues such as stomach pains, vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea. Upon initial testing, the odor was found to be caused by the chemical 2,4,6 tribromoanisole, which is believed to have stemmed from the breakdown of a chemical used to treat wooden pallets. These wooden pallets are used to house the medicine bottles during transportation and also as a means of facility storage.

Consumers who purchased or have taken the Tylenol Arthristis caplets are urged to cease taking the medication and contact the company for more information. Refunds and replacements can be discussed by calling the toll-free company number at 888-222-6036 or by visiting the co company website, Tylenol.com.

Any consumer who have concerns related to health problems or medicine related side effects should see the attention of the primary health care provider. Consumers who have suffered reactions from the medication can report these reactions to the Food and Drug Administrations’s MedWatch website.

While all 100-count Tylenol Arthritis caplets are now on the recall list, consumers can still check the lot numbers on their own bottles to ensure their medication is safe. The lot numbers, which can be found on the side of the medication bottle label, include:

Lot numbers in the expanded recall include:

• 07CMC011, 07DMC022, 07DMC024, 07FMC032, 07FMC033, 07GMC038,

• 07GMC039, 07HMC045, 07HMC051, 07HMC053, 07JMC064, 07JMC069,

• 07JMC070, 07JMC071, 07XMC055, 07XMC058, 07XMC062, 08AMC002,

• 08AMC005, 08CMC026, 08DMC029, 08EMC037, 08EMC039, 08FMC044,

• 08FMC045, 08GMC050, 08GMC053, 08GMC063, 08GMC065, 08JMC103,

• 08JMC109, 08JMC110, 08JMC111, 08KMC124, 08KMC127, 08KMC131,

• 08KMC132, 08XMC093, 08XMC094, 08XMC095, 09AMC010, 09CMC041,

• 09EMC075, 09EMC079, 09EMC076, 09GMC096, 09GMC097, 09GMC099,

• 09JMC118, 09JMC126, 09KMC133, 09KMC134, 09XMC114, 09XMC116

The FDA and McNeil Consumer Healthcare have reported that while side effects have been reported, they appeared to be only of a temporary nature and not serious in manner. However, intensive studies have not been completed about the health effects of the found chemical.