U.S. says Amazon to pay $1.2 mln to settle allegations over pesticide sales

WASHINGTON, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc will pay a roughly $1.2 million penalty to settle nearly 4,000 alleged violations of U.S. law in a move aimed at preventing harmful exposure to pesticides through illegal sales, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Thursday.

In a statement, the EPA said Amazon agreed to closely monitor and remove illegal pesticides from its website in an effort to "significantly reduce the number of illegal pesticides available through the online marketplace."

(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Susan Thomas)