WASHINGTON (AP) – More than 100,000 condoms given away in a citywide campaign to reduce HIV/AIDS have been sent back to the city because of complaints their paper packaging can be easily damaged and could make the condoms ineffective.

A coalition of nonprofit groups involved in distributing the condoms for the District of Columbia Health Department returned the condoms after they heard complaints and noticed demand for the free condoms plummeted at two Southeast Washington sites.

“People were saying, ‘These packages aren’t any good,’” said Franck DeRose, executive director of a group called the Condom Project. “When I saw these Cracker Jack condoms, I said, ‘You know what, you’re going to have a big problem here.’”

DeRose said the condoms are legal and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but he said higher-end condoms could have been purchased without the city’s branding at the same price. The group returned the condoms June 14 after seeing its distribution bottom out.

Volunteers were told of the paper packets ripping in purses or bursting open in pockets. Illegible expiration dates also raised doubts about the Chinese-made condoms.

Dr. Gregg Pane, the city’s health director, said Wednesday the condoms are safe and effective and denied that the packaging was a problem. He said the department would survey its partners distributing the condoms to make sure they were storing and handling the packages properly.

“These condoms use the same packaging as the No. 1 condom manufacturer in the United States,” he told WRC TV. “We purchased these through a vendor who followed FDA standards. We have no credible reports from the manufacturer, the FDA or anyone else about performance, safety or quality issues.”

The district government’s efforts to dispense up to 1 million condoms this year has been praised in a city with some of the highest AIDS rates in the nation. The free condoms are marked with the slogan “Coming Together to Stop HIV in D.C.”

Young people involved with the group Metro TeenAIDS said they wondered why the wrappers weren’t plastic or foil, like those sold in stores.

“They doubted the authenticity of the condoms,” said Adam Tenner, the group’s executive director. “Distribution of those condoms has been really difficult.”

The health department has given out nearly 650,000 condoms since February through partnerships with 50 organizations.

Health department spokesperson Leila Abrar said in a statement that the city would hold a contest to design a new look for its next bulk purchase of condoms.

DeRose said his group tried to warn the city before sending back tens of thousands of packages, but he said officials didn’t offer any alternatives. Instead, the coalition has started buying its own condoms to give away.