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Environmental Health Network |
EHN [of California] P.O. Box 1155 Larkspur, California, 94977-0074 Support and Information Line (SAIL) 415.541.5075 |
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Abridged from an article by Ida Honoroff
A free sample of Bounce fabric softener was left at my front door. Offended by the heavy perfume, I wrote to the manufacturer, Proctor and Gamble. The active ingredient, quaternary ammonium salts, has long been used in rug sprays and other formulations to eliminate static. The base, trimethyl, benzyl, quaternary ammonium hydroxide, from which the salts are derived, is an organic alkaline material that is a homologue of ammonia. While dilute ammonia is a weakly basic (alkaline) material, nasally this is very dangerous. This compound is caustic, and a drop of quaternary ammonium hydroxide will burn the skin badly, comparable to lye. Proctor and Gamble tried to get around this danger by forming an acid salt, hopefully neutral, by combining quaternary ammonium hydroxide with sulfuric acid to form the quaternary ammonium sulfate. Properly done, the dangerous components of each are neutralized. But if the solution is made of imperfect starting materials, an imperfect chemical compound is the result. When water is machine dried from washed clothing, the wetting agent (detergent) and the quaternary ammonium salts are steam distilled into the tumbling clothing or into the exhaust air duct. As the ducts chill, quaternary ammonium salts precipitate and line the duct, warm and sticky, catching lint and fibers. The process of "wicking" can create abnormal concentrations of the quaternary ammonium salts at a cuff, a cloth edge, or a seam in a cotton garment while drying takes place in the dryer. The salts stay there in concentrated form ready to irritate sensitive skin if the person perspires. The Consumer Product Safety Commission tested laboratory animals and found many adverse effects, including that Bounce is a skin irritant."Extremely low concentrations of the contactant may be all that is needed to elicit and allergic reaction." CPSC approved the product anyway, after Proctor and Gamble submitted patch-tests of their own employees they said showed no adverse dermatological manifestations. In contradiction to Proctor and Gamble's claims of safety, one of Attorney Matthew Wolfson's clients was still being treated in the hospital one year after being exposed to a semi-trailer truckload of Bounce. She did not react to Proctor and Gamble's patch test which contained a washed out piece of cloth with a dilute sample of Bounce, but immediately reacted to an actual strip of Bounce taken out of the box to the extent that her entire arm swelled up like a balloon. [From Ida Honoroff's April 1987 "Report to the Consumer,"]
A nudge from the REACTOR:
Proctor and Gamble makes Bounce, 800-543-1745 Lever Brothers makes Snuggle, 800-544-2002 Beecham Products makes Cling Free, 800-245-1040 Safeway makes White Magic (no number) Dial Corporation, Phoenix, AZ 85077 makes Purex Economic Labs, Inc., St. Paul, MN 55102 makes Free N' Soft and they are the only company listing the ingredients, a "Hazard" warning, and first aid specifications -Ýbut no phone number.
Remember folks, this was from 1987. The interesting thing is that so many of us have contacted CPSC and time and again, the lot of us are told that they never heard of trouble with fabric softeners before. One time when I was told that for the umpteenth time, I guffawed. It was an unintentional, but immediate response to the same lie I had been told time and time again in the past. I apologized for my rude laughter, but explained that I just couldn't help it. I suggested that being lied to so consistently obviously caused my body to burst forth with uncontrolled laughter. Then I got the story that they lost their database covering their earlier years. Eventually, I learned that they had a working database and I received a copy of what they had. And, yes, there were complaints about fabric softeners. So, WHY the subterfuge?
Maybe it's time our government agencies charged with protecting public health re-read the famous line by Abraham Lincoln.
providing support, advocacy and information to the chemically and electrically injured since 1988 P.O. Box 1155 Larkspur, CA 94977-1155 www.ehnca.org 415.541.5075
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The Environmental Health Network (EHN) [of California] is a 501 (c) (3) non profit agency and offers support and information for the chemically injured. EHN is a member -- #49 -- of The Community Thrift Store in San Francisco. The Community Thrift Store serves over 200 charities. The URL for EHN's homepage is http://www.ehnca.org