Before you reach for that bottle of Tylenol, Motrin or St. Joseph's aspirin, be sure to check the lot number.

Johnson & Johnson, the maker of the medications, recently issued a massive recall of the products because of a moldy odor that has caused people to become ill, according to some news reports.

It was the second recall in less than a month, a problem that was first reported to Johnson & Johnson's McNeil Consumer Healthcare Products in 2008. Now, the company is under scrutiny again from officials with the Food and Drug Administration who say the company failed to respond promptly to complaints, and was not thorough enough in its handling of the problem from the beginning.

"About 70 people have been either sickened by the odor - including nausea, stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea - or noticed,'' The smell is caused by small amounts of a chemical associated with the treatment of wooden pallets, Johnson & Johnson said. The FDA said the chemical can leach into the air, and traced it to a facility in Las Piedras, Puerto Rico, the article said.

An official with the FDA criticized McNeil, saying when something smells bad, literally or figuratively, companies must aggressively investigate and take all necessary action,'' the article said. The company said it is working with the FDA to solve the problem.
A list of recalled products can be found at Johnson & Johnson McNeil Healthcare, which is based in New Brunswick, N.J.

Besides Tylenol, Motrin and St. Joseph's aspirin, other medications on the recall list include: some batches of regular and extra-strength Tylenol, children's Tylenol, eight-hour Tylenol, Tylenol arthritis, Tylenol PM, children's Motrin, Motrin IB, Benadryl, Simply Sleep, and Rolaids.