Detection of contaminants

A dual bar code system for detecting contamination of a pharmaceutical container comprising:

• a first bar code symbol coded to identify a container having an indicator area for changing the appearance of said first bar code;
• a second bar code symbol coded to identify contamination of the container having an indicator area for changing the appearances of said second bar code;
• wherein when contamination is present, the appearance of the first bar code changes precluding product identification, and the appearance of the second bar code changes to identify contamination.

A pharmaceutical contamination detection system comprising:

• (a) a container;
• (b) a bar code printed upon a transparent substrate;
• (c) a contamination indicator attached to said container and aligned with said bar code, whereby said indicator changes appearance when the container becomes contaminated and alters the appearance of said bar code.

A pharmaceutical container comprising:

• a first product information component associated with the container so it is visible from the exterior of the container, the first component comprising a first substrate and one or more first visual elements printed on the first substrate with a material capable of detecting a contaminant;
• and
• a second product information component associated with the container, the second component comprising a second substrate aligned with the first substrate without hiding the first visual elements and a plurality of second visual elements printed on the second substrate with a noncontaminant detecting material.