|
|
|
The Consumer Alert was published in conjunction with FTC’s settlement of complaints that marketers of two products made false and unsubstantiated advertising claims about their efficacy and environmental attributes. In announcing the settlement, Jodie Bernstein, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said, “Today, on Earth Day, many consumers will be looking for green products and may believe these products are better for the environment. Before tossing out their tried and true detergents, consumers should think twice. Tests show that these gadgets do little more than clean out your wallet. At best, they’re marginally better than washing clothes in hot water alone, and not as effective as washing them with laundry detergent. At worst, the products are completely useless.”
SDA’s web site (www.sdahq.org) publication Laundry Detergent “Alternatives”: A Technical Review found that “alternative” products claiming “structured” water as their active cleaning system are promoting ineffective products based on false science. The FTC Consumer Alert and related news release are on line at www.ftc.gov.
The Soap and Detergent Association (www.sdahq.org) is a national trade association, founded in 1926, whose approximately 135 members include the manufacturers of over 90% of the household, industrial and institutional cleaning products marketed in the U.S. SDA member companies include producers of finished cleaning products, ingredient suppliers and manufacturers of finished packaging.
New York, NY, November 4, 1998 — The Soap and Detergent Association announces a call for papers for the 1999 Recognition Award for Innovative Uses of Fatty Acids.
The competition is sponsored by the Association’s Oleochemical Division to recognize innovative research, development and use of fatty acids. Fatty acids fill many roles in industry as product ingredients and processing aids, with applications in soaps and detergents, cosmetics and toiletries, foods and edible emulsifiers, paints and protective coatings, greases and lubricants, rubber, plastics and paper chemicals. The most recently presented Award was for work in the synthesis and applications of silicone-based surfactants that has opened up a new class of surfactants which combine many of the desirable properties of silicone with those of fatty substances.
Applicants for the 1999 Recognition Award for Innovative Uses of Fatty Acids must submit a short paper (limited to 1,000 words) describing their invention and its potential commercial use. Entries will be judged by Oleochemical Division members for innovation, creativity and potential for development and rapid commercial introduction of the use. The winner will receive a $1,000 honorarium and commemorative plaque, which will be presented at SDA’s Annual Meeting. The competition is open to both SDA members and non-members.
To be considered for the 1999 Award, papers must be submitted by August 1, 1999 to: The Soap and Detergent Association, Oleochemical Division, 475 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016. Papers can be submitted by e-mail to akuemmel@sdahq.org.
The Soap and Detergent Association is a national trade association, founded in 1926, whose more than 135 members include the manufacturers of over 90% of the household, industrial and institutional cleaning products marketed in the U.S. SDA member companies include producers of finished cleaning products, ingredient suppliers and manufacturers of finished packaging.
New York, NY, November 4, 1998 — The Soap and Detergent Association announces a call for papers for the 1999 Recognition Award for Innovative Uses of Glycerine.
The competition is sponsored by the Association's Oleochemical Division to recognize innovative research, development and application of glycerine. The material has more than 1,500 known end uses, including major applications in cosmetics and toiletries, food and beverages, ethical and over-the-counter drugs, surface coating resins and urethane polymers.
Previous Award winners have come from industry and academia. The innovators have created a new family of glycerine-based splittable surfactants that improve the treatability of wastewater effluent; glycerine-plasticized egg albumen films and coatings for foods and pharmaceuticals that have performance and technical advantages over other protein-based films; and glycerine-based fabric softener actives with excellent performance and safety profiles.
Applicants for the 1999 Recognition Award for Innovative Uses of Glycerine must submit a short paper (limited to 1,000 words) describing their proposal and its potential commercial use. Entries will be judged for their innovation, creativity, and significant potential for development and rapid introduction into commerce. The winner will receive a $1,000 honorarium and a commemorative plaque, which will be presented at SDA's Annual Meeting. The competition is open to both SDA members and non-members.
To be considered for the 1999 Award, papers must be submitted by August 1, 1999 to: The Soap and Detergent Association, Oleochemical Division, 475 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016. Papers can be submitted by e-mail to akuemmel@sdahq.org.
The Soap and Detergent Association is a national trade association, founded in 1926, whose more than 135 members include the manufacturers of over 90% of the household, industrial and institutional cleaning products marketed in the U.S. SDA member companies include producers of finished cleaning products, ingredient suppliers and manufacturers of finished packaging.
“The SDA program combines general allergy and asthma information with specific recommendations for refining basic lifestyle strategies and cleaning practices to make it harder for common allergens to ‘make themselves at home’,” says Jane Meyer, SDA Education Director. “Health care educators tell us that this kind of practical information is what they need to effectively make a difference for asthma and allergy sufferers.”
Several medical and indoor air experts worked with SDA on the education program, including James M. Seltzer, M.D., Medical Director, Indoor Hygienic Technologies Corporation, and Assistant Clinical Professor, Division of Allergy/Immunology, University of California, San Diego; and Eugene Cole, Dr. PH, Director, Health Research Services Division, DynCorp. “I’m confident,” says Dr. Seltzer, “that health care providers and educators will find the SDA program a valuable tool in communicating the importance of controlling the home environment to relieve asthma and allergy symptoms.”
Clean and Healthy . . . Strategies for Today’s Homes: Allergies and Asthma is a complete, ready-to-use education program for helping asthma and allergy sufferers. The program includes two major parts:
A Reference Manual with:Clean and Healthy . . . Strategies for Today’s Homes: Controlling Allergies and Asthma is available free of charge to public health and community educators and non-profit organizations by contacting SDA at (tel) 212-725-1262 or (fax) 212-213-0685.
- General information on allergies and asthma what they are, who gets them and why they are becoming more common.
- Practical lifestyle strategies and cleaning practices to help control allergies and asthma at home, including a “room-by-room” review.
- Tips on getting rid of clutter and on using cleaning products safely.
- References and web resources of medical/health associations.
A Presentation Kit that includes:
- Talk points for a 20-30 minute presentation.
- Reproducible masters to make overhead transparencies for a presentation.
- Reproducible masters to make audience hand-outs with important information to help control allergens.
The Soap and Detergent Association is a national trade association, founded in 1926, whose more than 135 members include the manufacturers of over 90% of the household, industrial and institutional cleaning products marketed in the U.S. SDA member companies include producers of finished cleaning products, ingredient suppliers and manufacturers of finished packaging.
NEW YORK, NY, August 10, 1998 — Antibacterial wash products containing triclosan have been used by consumers and medical professionals in homes and hospitals for more than 30 years. Based on these three decades of research and actual user experience, triclosan has never been shown to promote antibiotic resistance.
In fact, recently an FDA advisory panel determined that antibiotic resistance due to the use of antibacterial wash products is not a public health concern. As recently as last month, two independent hospital infection control researchers presented studies to the FDA showing that triclosan-based wash products have controlled and reversed outbreaks of resistant bacteria infections in hospitals an environment where bacterial resistance is continually monitored. The soap and detergent industry and the cosmetics industry are fully confident that consumers can continue to safely use antibacterial hand and body wash products.
The Soap and Detergent Association (www.sdahq.org) is the national trade association, founded in 1926, representing approximately 140 North American manufacturers of cleaning products, their ingredients and finished packaging. SDA member companies produce more than 90% of the household, industrial and institutional cleaning products marketed in the U.S.
*The Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association, 1101 17th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036
Q. Are antibacterial hand and body wash products safe to use?
A. Antibacterial wash products have been used safely by consumers for over 30 years. The safety of these products is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Q. Do you believe that the expanding use of antibacterial ingredients in consumer hand and body wash products could lead to “superbugs” that are resistant to antibiotic drugs?
A. No. In the more than 30 years that antibacterial wash products have been used by consumers and medical professionals, we have not seen any evidence that their use contributes to antibiotic resistance. If there were a link between antibacterial use and antibiotic resistance, experts believe it would have been seen by now in settings, such as hospitals, where antibacterial products are used extensively to stop the spread of bacteria and antibiotic resistance is closely monitored. In fact, two independent hospital infection control researchers recently presented studies to the FDA showing that triclosan-based wash products controlled and reversed outbreaks of resistant bacteria infections.
Q. Then how do you explain the increase in types of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotic drugs?
A. The emergence of resistant bacteria is widely attributed by public health experts to the misuse and overuse of antibiotics.
Q. What do you think of the Tufts University research published in Nature magazine on the creation of a strain of bacteria that was resistant to triclosan?
A. The laboratory findings simply demonstrate one potential explanation for how triclosan works, and should not be considered predictive of what happens to bacteria that consumers encounter in the real world. In the more than 30 years that antibacterial wash products containing triclosan have been used by consumers and health professionals, triclosan has never been shown to promote antibacterial or antibiotic resistance. In fact, hospitals use antibacterial products every day to stop the spread of bacteria, including resistant bacteria.
Q. What are the differences between laboratory findings and the real world?
A. In the laboratory, bacteria are grown in a highly controlled environment under optimal temperature, moisture and nutritional conditions. In the home, these conditions vary substantially and there are other factors (e.g., chlorine in water, surface cleaners, etc.) that would limit their survival.
Q. Has industry studied the antibiotic resistance issue?
A. Yes, the industry has worked with experts on antibiotic resistance and has extensively reviewed the available data. The experts concluded that no link has been established between the use of antibacterial wash products and bacterial resistance. These reviews were presented to the Food and Drug Administration in January 1997. Industry believes that continued monitoring of this issue is part of good product stewardship.
Q. What does the FDA say about resistance to active ingredients in antibacterial wash products?
A. An independent FDA panel of medical experts considered the available data on this topic in January 1997, and concluded that bacterial resistance due to antibacterial wash products is currently not a public health concern. To assure awareness of any new developments, FDA recommended monitoring the situation. Industry continues to review the data and participate in discussions with experts in the field in order to increase our understanding of the resistance issue.
Q. If there is no public health issue with the use of antibacterial wash products, why do some scientists continue to raise concerns?
A. Many scientists and health experts are very concerned about the emergence of resistance to antibiotics throughout the world. The implications of this situation have spurred discussions aimed at finding appropriate methods for increasing our understanding about the causes of resistance.
Q. What is the benefit of using an antibacterial hand wash product over plain soap and water?
A. Washing with plain soap and water removes many germs from the hands. Antibacterial soaps contain an active ingredient that keeps the number of germs at a reduced level for an extended period of time, providing improved germ control. There are some people, such as those taking care of young children or someone in the home who is ill, who should consider paying particular attention to cleanliness and may want to consider using an antibacterial soap.
Q. Is it possible that the low level of antibacterial ingredient remaining on the skin after using an antibacterial wash product could lead to resistant bacteria?
A. We have not seen any evidence that this has occurred in the more than 30 years that antibacterial wash products have been in use.
See Cleaning for Health for more information about antibacterial cleaning products.
