Defective condoms were distributed on campus

"I heard about it at the end of last week, but I didn't realize that they were really defective until yesterday. I thought it was a joke, but we're going to throw these ones out now," said Heidi Van Borkulo, head of BGALA, the Bisexual, Gay and Lesbian Association at the University of Arizona.

An assortment of Lifestyle, Prime and Contempo brand condoms were recalled this past week as Ansell Personal Products responded to user complaints by collecting more than 57 million defective condoms throughout the United States.

The condoms had been "found to deteriorate before the end of their shelf life and may not adequately protect against pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases," according to an Ansell statement released last week about their spermicidally lubricated condoms.

The circulation of the affected condoms raised serious student concerns and forced the Ansell corporation to contact their national distributors.

"Whoever has them, I would like to see them get rid of them right away," said Scott McMahon, a criminal justice freshman and a member of BGALA. "BGALA definitely wants to promote safe sex."

One source dispensing the faulty latex condoms on the UA campus is the men's bathroom on the basement level of the Memorial Student Union.

Administrators, however, said they did not know who is in charge of the machine.

"Being that nobody knows who stocks these dispensers, I'm going to get my guys to go down there and rip the machines out," said Joe Sottosanti, assistant director of Arizona Student Unions.

Sottosanti said he thought the responsibility for the condoms in the Student Union bathroom fell on the shoulders of ASUA and its adviser Jim Drnek.

Drnek said, however, that ASUA was not responsible for the distribution.

ASUA's umbrella does not cover vending machines in the Student Union, he said.

"Normally, distributors send recall letters to their product holders, but as far as I know, we weren't notified," Drnek said.

Sottosanti leaves for a three-day conference today. He plans on taking care of the problem when he returns.

Lee Ann Hamilton, a health educator at the Campus Health Center, said she was afraid the recall would make people think condoms were generally suspect.

"My concern is that a few reports of faulty condoms will cause people to think that all condoms are affected," she said. "And they're not."

Hamilton, a long time promoter of health related issues, only distributes Shiek Ultra brand condoms at educational events and presentations and at the Wellness Center inside the Student Recreation Center.

The pharmacy at the Campus Health Center does not carry any of the bad prophylactics.

A news release listed the following brands as defective: LifeStyles Ultra Sensitive with spermicide, LifeStyles Assorted Colors with spermicide, LifeStyles Spermicidally Lubricated, LifeStyles Vibra-Ribbed with spermicide, LifeStyles Extra Strength with spermicide and Contempo Intensity Assorted Colors with spermicide.