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Lysol

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For the album by the Melvins, seeLysol (album).

Lysol
Product typeDisinfectant,all-purpose cleaners
OwnerReckitt
CountryUnited States
Introduced1889;135 years ago(1889)
Related brandsDettol(Sagrotan)
MarketsUnited States, Canada, Europe, India (as Lizol), Philippines, Mexico and Chile
Previous ownersLehn & Fink (later subsidiary ofSterling Drug)
Tagline"Healthing"

Lysol(/ˈlaɪsɒl/;spelledLizolin India[1]) is a brand of American cleaning anddisinfectingproducts distributed byReckitt,which markets the similarDettolor Sagrotan in other markets. The line includes liquid solutions for hard and soft surfaces, air treatment, and hand washing. Theactive ingredientin many Lysol products isbenzalkonium chloride,but the active ingredient in the Lysol "Power and Free" line ishydrogen peroxide.Lysol has been used since its invention in the late 19th century as a household and industrial cleaning agent, and previously as a medical disinfectant.

History

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A 1935 Canadian advertisement promoting Lysol as a feminine hygiene product, using the slogan "The poise that knowledge gives"

The first Lysol Brand Antiseptic Disinfectant was introduced in 1889 by Gustav Raupenstrauch to help end acholeraepidemic happening in Germany. The original formulation of Lysol containedcresols.[2]This formulation may still be available commercially in some parts of the world.[3] Formulations containingchlorophenolare still available in the United Kingdom.[4]

In 1911, poisoning by drinking Lysol was the most common means of suicide in Australia and New York.[5]One of the active ingredients,benzalkonium chloride,is highly toxic to fish (LC50 = 280 μg ai/L), very highly toxic to aquatic invertebrates (LC50 = 5.9 μg ai/L), moderately toxic to birds (LD50 = 136 mg/kg-bw), and slightly toxic ( "safe" ) to mammals (LD50 = 430 mg/kg-bw).[6]

Use during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic

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In 1918, during theSpanish flu pandemic,Lehn & Fink, Inc. advertised Lysol disinfectant as an effective countermeasure to the influenza virus. Newspaper advertisements provided tips for preventing the spread of the disease, including washing sick-rooms with Lysol, as well as everything that came in contact with patients. A small (US50¢) bottle made 5 US gallons (19 L; 4.2 imp gal) of disinfectant solution, and a smaller (US25¢) bottle made 2 US gallons (7.6 L; 1.7 imp gal). The company also advertised the "unrefined" Lysol F. & F. (Farm & Factory) for use in factories and other large buildings – a 5-US-gallon (19 L; 4.2 imp gal) can, when diluted as directed, made 50 US gallons (190 L; 42 imp gal) of disinfecting solution.[7]

Use as a contraceptive

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The Lysol disinfectant douche once was "the leading feminine hygiene product"[8]in the United States. Advertisements for Lysol during the 1930s hinted at its use as acontraceptivebut never explicitly promoted it to be used as such. Advertisements did note that Lysol was safe to use including on "delicate female tissues".[8]By 1911, 193 Lysol poisonings were recorded along with five deaths from "uterine irrigation".[9]

Lysol ads also included recommendations from female gynecologists that Lysol would resolve women's marital distress through the practice of complete feminine hygiene and resolve fears of pregnancy for married women.[8][9]Douching with Lysol disinfectant does not prevent pregnancy and can result in undesirable vaginal health outcomes as well as has resulted in death for some women using it as a contraceptive or as anabortifacient.[8]

Use as an abortifacient

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Earlier formulations of Lysol containedcresol,a compound that can induceabortions,and it was widely used by women who could not otherwise obtain legal abortions in the United States, although the medical community was relatively unaware of the phenomenon for the first half of the 20th century.[10][11]It remained a popular birth control method from the Great Depression through the 1960s.[12]By the 1960s, published medical literature had acknowledged the common use of Lysol and other soaps to induce abortions, which could lead to fatalrenal failureandsepsis.[13]

Product innovations

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  • 1930: Lysol Brand Disinfectant Liquid was introduced to drug stores and hospitals.
  • 1957/58 Lysol purchased the rights to private label National Laboratories, Inc's Disinfectant spray.
  • 1962: Lysol released the Lysol Disinfectant Spray, which used a new method of aerosol application.
  • 1968: Lysol began creating bathroom cleaners and released the Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner.
  • 1985: Lysol All Purpose Cleaner was released.
  • 1988: Lysol began shipping aerosol disinfectants to humid areas such as Houston, to combat occupational lung diseases, (also known as "lung rot" ).[clarification needed]
  • 2000: Pre-moistened Lysol Brand Disinfecting Wipes was released, a cleaning wipe for use on hard, nonporous surfaces.
  • 2009: Lysol began producing hand soaps.

Ownership: Lehn & Fink was acquired bySterling Drugin 1967 and Reckitt & Colman acquired L&F in 1994 whenBayeracquired Sterling-Winthrop. As of 2015 Lysol products were distributed by Reckitt Benckiser LLC of Parsippany, New Jersey.

Ingredients

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Lysol multi-surface cleaner on a store shelf

Different Lysol products contain different active ingredients. Examples of active ingredients used in Lysol products:[citation needed]

  • ethanol/SD alcohol, 40 1–4%; fluid that acts as sanitizer
  • isopropyl alcohol,1–2%; partly responsible for Lysol's strong odor; acts as sanitizing agent and removes odor
  • p-chloro-o-benzylphenol, 5–6%; antiseptic
  • o-phenylphenol,0.1%; antiseptic; in use circa 1980s
  • potassium hydroxide,3–4%
    • Potassium hydroxide is a highly corrosive chemical when used at higher concentrations. It is primarily dangerous to eyes, skin, respiratory tract, and gastrointestinal tract. It can cause serious burns and can be fatal if swallowed. Inhalation, dermal contact, and ingestion are the main forms of exposure. This substance is often found in various bathroom products for hair and skincare, but in a way that maintains and balances the pH level. Potassium hydroxide is not carcinogenic and does not prove to be dangerous for reproductive health.
  • alkyl (50% C14, 40% C12, 10% C16) dimethylbenzyl ammonium saccharinate, 0.10%; microbiocide
  • alkyl (C12-C18) dimethylbenzylammonium chloride,0.08%; antiseptic
  • alkyl (C12-C16) dimethylbenzylammonium chloride,0.02%; antiseptic
  • lactic acidas an antiseptic
  • hydrogen peroxide

Health effects of P-chloro-o-benzylphenol

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Lysol contains P-chloro-o-benzylphenol at a 5-6% concentration. It is achemical[14]that is absorbed in humans through ingestion and the mucus membranes. The Globally Harmonized System of Classification of Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) has releasedhazard statements[15]on P-chloro-o-benzylphenol that include and are not limited to “skin irritation, allergic skin reaction, causes serious eye damage, harmful if inhaled, suspected of causing cancer, suspected of damaging fertility, and potentially causes damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure”.

SARS-CoV-2 inactivating capability

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According to their website, some of Lysol's products "have been tested by an independent third party and approved by the EPA to killSARS-CoV-2,the cause ofCOVID-19,on hard, non-porous surfaces ".[16]

Risk of misuse during COVID-19 pandemic

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Though Lysol contains disinfecting properties, risks of misuse during the heightened sanitation practices of the COVID-19 pandemic did exist. Overuse, misuse, and improper mi xing ofdisinfectantingredients can cause both acute and chronic effects.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, more surfaces were being disinfected, such as "touch-screens, plastics, rubber, adhesives, stainless steel and other metals".[17]Acute health effects include coughing, shortness of breath, burning and watery eyes, runny nose,[18]and acute skin irritation.[19]Long-term exposure offragrancesand sanitizers in Lysol can "triggerasthmaand allergies ".[18]

Products

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  • Disinfectants:Lysol disinfectant products are used to kill surface and air bacteria. Products include:
    • Lysol Disinfectant Spray: alkyl (50% C14, 40% C12, 10% C16) dimethyl benzyl ammonium saccharinate = 0.10% ethanol = 58.00%, other ingredients = 41.90% (total 100%)[20]
    • Lysol Disinfecting Wipes
    • Lysol Concentrate Disinfectant
    • Lysol Laundry Disinfectant - contains: didecyl-dimethyl ammonium chloride and dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride - claims effiacy againstP. aeruginosaandCOVID-19,with 99.99% (one extra "9", compared to most other Lysol products) effectiveness against all viruses and bacteria.
  • Cleaners:Lysol distributes several multi-purpose cleaners, kitchen cleaners, and bathroom cleaners. These include:
    • Lysol Power & Free
    • Lysol All-Purpose Cleaner
    • Lysol Multi-Surface Cleaner Pourable
    • Lysol Power Kitchen Cleaner
    • Lysol Bathroom Cleaner
    • Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner
    • Lysol Mold & Mildew Remover
  • Hand Soaps: Lysol recently developed a line of disinfecting hand soaps. Products include:
    • Lysol No Touch Hand Soap System
    • Lysol Touch of Foam Hand Wash

Competition

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Lysol's major competitors includeClorox,Febreze,Tilex,Oust,Mr. CleanandPine-Sol.

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Media Corner."Lyzol India, 20 September 2006. Accessed 13 January 2020.
  2. ^SIMMONS, W.H. (1908).THE HANDBOOK OF SOAP MANUFACTURE no.SCOTT, GREENWOOD & SON.
  3. ^"Disinfectant, Disinfectants, antiseptics and disinfectants".GMP Chem Tech Pvt. Ltd., India.Retrieved22 April2008. "Material Safety Data Sheets (L)".ReSource Colorado (a full service flooring contractor). Archived fromthe originalon 1 October 2009.Retrieved22 April2008.
  4. ^"Material Safety Data Sheet, Lysol(R) Brand Concentrate, Original Scent"(PDF).18 April 1997. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 20 July 2011.Retrieved22 April2008.
  5. ^ "LYSOL POISONING".The Argus.Melbourne (Australia). 10 January 1912.Retrieved7 May2013.
  6. ^Frank T. Sanders, ed. (August 2006).Reregistration Eligibility Decision for Alkyl Dimethyl Benzyl Ammonium Chloride (ADBAC)(PDF)(Report).U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyOffice of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances. p. 114. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 24 October 2009.Retrieved31 March2009.
  7. ^"'Fight Spanish Influenza With Daily Disinfection' (advertisement) ".The New York Times.30 October 1918. p. 9.ProQuest97039401.
  8. ^abcdReis, Elizabeth, ed. (2012).American sexual histories.Blackwell readers in American social and cultural history (2. ed.). Malden, Mass.: Wiley-Blackwell.ISBN978-1-4443-3929-1.
  9. ^abPasulka, Nicole (8 March 2012)."When Women Used Lysol as Birth Control".Mother Jones.Retrieved21 December2023.
  10. ^Flanagan, Caitlin (December 2019)."The Dishonesty of the Abortion Debate".The Atlantic.Retrieved13 January2020.
  11. ^Presley, J. A.; Brown, W. E. (September 1956)."Lysol-Induced Criminal Abortion".Obstetrics & Gynecology.8(3): 368–370.Retrieved14 January2020.
  12. ^Rodriguez, Sarah Mellors (2023).Reproductive realities in modern China: birth control and abortion, 1911-2021.Cambridge, United Kingdom:Cambridge University Press.p. 92.ISBN978-1-009-02733-5.OCLC1366057905.
  13. ^Bartlett, Robert H.; Yahia, Clement (2 October 1969). "Management of Septic Chemical Abortion with Renal Failure: Report of Five Consecutive Cases with Five Survivors".The New England Journal of Medicine.281(14): 747–53.doi:10.1056/nejm196910022811401.PMID5807922.
  14. ^National Toxicology Program (January 1994)."NTP Toxicology and Carcinogenesis Studies of o-Benzyl-p-Chlorophenol (CAS No. 120-32-1) in F344/N Rats and B6C3F1 Mice (Gavage Studies)".National Toxicology Program Technical Report Series.424:1–304.ISSN0888-8051.PMID12616287.
  15. ^PubChem."2-Benzyl-4-chlorophenol".pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.Retrieved2 March2023.
  16. ^"Help & Support".lysol.Retrieved12 April2021.
  17. ^"The Long-Term Effects of Disinfectants on Surfaces & Health".EnvirOx.9 July 2020.Retrieved2 March2023.
  18. ^ab"A rapid review of disinfectant chemical exposures and health effects during the COVID-19 pandemic | National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health | NCCEH - CCSNE".ncceh.ca.Retrieved2 March2023.
  19. ^Goh, Choon (2021)."Dermatologic reactions to disinfectant use during the COVID-19 pandemic".Clinics in Dermatology.39(2): 314–322.doi:10.1016/j.clindermatol.2020.09.005.PMC7529601.PMID34272029.
  20. ^"Memorandum"(PDF).United States Environmental Protection Agency. 29 September 2010. p. 1.Retrieved7 April2020.
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