A subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal criminal charge that it sold over-the-counter infant 's and children 's liquid medicine containing metal particles . McNeil Consumer Healthcare , of Fort Washington , Pennsylvania , acknowledged failing to take corrective action after discovering the adulterated bottles of Infants ' and Children 's Tylenol and Children 's Motrin . The company agreed to pay $ 25 million to resolve the case . Metal particles , including nickel , iron and chromium , were introduced during the manufacturing process at McNeil 's plant in Fort Washington . Prosecutors said McNeil knew about the problem for nearly a year but failed to take immediate steps to fix it . Admission : McNeil Consumer Healthcare acknowledged failing to take corrective action after discovering adulterated bottles of Infants ' and Children 's Tylenol and Children 's Motrin which contained metal particles . The company and prosecutors said in court Tuesday that no one was injured . 'McNeil 's failure to comply with current good manufacturing practices is seriously troubling , ' Acting Assistant Attorney General Mizer said in a statement after the judge accepted McNeil 's plea . 'The Department of Justice will continue to be aggressive in pursuing and punishing companies such as McNeil that disregard a process designed to assure quality medicines , especially OTC drugs for infants and children , ' he said . McNeil is a unit of Johnson & Johnson . The New Brunswick , New Jersey , health care giant has struggled with scores of product recalls since 2009 . In this case , McNeil first learned of the particle problem in May 2009 , when a consumer complained about black specks inside a bottle of Infants ' Tylenol , according to court documents . McNeil subsequently found metal particles during production but continued making the liquid medicines for several more months . Products : Metal particles , including nickel , iron and chromium , were introduced during the manufacturing process at McNeil 's plant in Fort Washington . 'There were investigative steps taken , but not all of the steps required under all of our internal operating procedures , ' company attorney Michael Schwartz told The Associated Press on Tuesday . McNeill eventually traced the problem to the machinery at its plant in Fort Washington and issued a recall . The Food and Drug Administration said the potential for serious medical problems was remote but advised consumers to stop using the medicine . The suburban Philadelphia plant — which was linked to several recalls of Tylenol and other nonprescription drugs for children and adults — was shuttered in April 2010 and rebuilt from the ground up , but it has yet to reopen . The company is operating under an agreement with the FDA requiring increased inspections and oversight at its factories . McNeil said Tuesday it has significantly improved its procedures . 'McNeil has been implementing enhanced quality and oversight standards across its entire business to ensure we are best able to meet our commitment to consumers , patients and doctors who rely on our products , ' company spokeswoman Carol Goodrich said .
McNeil Consumer Healthcare agreed to pay $ 25 million to resolve the case . The company acknowledged failing to take corrective action after finding adulterated bottles of Infants ' and Children 's Tylenol and Children 's Motrin . Metal particles , including nickel , iron and chromium , were introduced during the manufacturing process at McNeil 's plant in Fort Washington . Title: Why do we have a " right to privacy "?