Lysol

File:The poise that knowledge gives.jpg

The first Lysol Brand Antiseptic Disinfectant was introduced in 1889 by Gustav Raupenstrauch to help end a cholera epidemic happening in Germany. The original formulation of Lysol contained cresols.{{cite book

|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/21724/21724-h/21724-h.htm

|title=THE HANDBOOK OF SOAP MANUFACTURE no

|year=1908

|publisher=SCOTT, GREENWOOD & SON

|last=SIMMONS|first=W.H.}} This formulation may still be available commercially in some parts of the world.{{cite web

|url = http://www.gmpct.com/products/disinfectants.php#lysol

|title = Disinfectant, Disinfectants, antiseptics and disinfectants

|publisher = GMP Chem Tech Pvt. Ltd., India

|access-date = 2008-04-22

}}

{{cite web

| url=http://resourcecolorado.com/L.htm

| access-date=2008-04-22

| title=Material Safety Data Sheets (L)

| publisher=ReSource Colorado (a full service flooring contractor)

| archive-date=1 October 2009

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091001194828/http://resourcecolorado.com/L.htm

| url-status=dead

}}

Formulations containing chlorophenol are still available in the United Kingdom.{{cite web

| url=http://www2.itap.purdue.edu/msds/docs/4925.pdf

| access-date=2008-04-22

| title=Material Safety Data Sheet, Lysol(R) Brand Concentrate, Original Scent

| date=18 April 1997

| archive-date=20 July 2011

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720040650/https://www2.itap.purdue.edu/msds/docs/4925.pdf

| url-status=dead

}}

In 1911, poisoning by drinking Lysol was the most common means of suicide in Australia and New York.

{{cite web

| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11644980

|access-date= 2013-05-07

| date = 10 January 1912

|title=LYSOL POISONING

| work=The Argus

| location = Melbourne (Australia)

}} 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).{{cite report

|title=Reregistration Eligibility Decision for Alkyl Dimethyl Benzyl Ammonium Chloride (ADBAC)

|publisher=U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances.

|editor=Frank T. Sanders

|date=August 2006

|url=http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/REDs/adbac_red.pdf

|pages=114

|access-date=2009-03-31

|url-status=dead

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091024165642/http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/REDs/adbac_red.pdf

|archive-date=24 October 2009

}}

In 1918, during the Spanish 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 {{convert|5|gal}} of disinfectant solution, and a smaller (US25¢) bottle made {{convert|2|gal}}. The company also advertised the "unrefined" Lysol F. & F. (Farm & Factory) for use in factories and other large buildings – a {{convert|5|gal|adj=on}} can, when diluted as directed, made {{convert|50|gal}} of disinfecting solution.{{cite news|title='Fight Spanish Influenza With Daily Disinfection' (advertisement)|work=The New York Times|date=30 October 1918|page=9|id={{ProQuest|97039401}}}}

The Lysol disinfectant douche once was "the leading feminine hygiene product"{{Cite book |title=American sexual histories |date=2012 |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |isbn=978-1-4443-3929-1 |editor-last=Reis |editor-first=Elizabeth |edition=2. |series=Blackwell readers in American social and cultural history |location=Malden, Mass.}} in the United States. Advertisements for Lysol during the 1930s hinted at its use as a contraceptive but never explicitly promoted it to be used as such. Advertisements did note that Lysol was safe to use including on "delicate female tissues". By 1911, 193 Lysol poisonings were recorded along with five deaths from "uterine irrigation".{{Cite web |last=Pasulka |first=Nicole |date=March 8, 2012 |title=When Women Used Lysol as Birth Control |url=https://www.motherjones.com/media/2012/03/when-women-used-lysol-birth-control/ |access-date=December 21, 2023 |website=Mother Jones}}

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. 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 an abortifacient.

Earlier formulations of Lysol contained cresol, a compound that can induce abortions, 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.{{cite news|author=Flanagan, Caitlin|date=December 2019|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/12/the-things-we-cant-face/600769/|title=The Dishonesty of the Abortion Debate|work=The Atlantic|access-date=13 January 2020}}{{cite journal |last1=Presley |first1=J. A. |last2=Brown |first2=W. E. |title=Lysol-Induced Criminal Abortion |journal=Obstetrics & Gynecology |date=September 1956 |volume=8 |issue=3 |pages=368–370 |url=https://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/Citation/1956/09000/Lysol_Induced_Criminal_Abortion.18.aspx |access-date=14 January 2020}} It remained a popular birth control method from the Great Depression through the 1960s.{{Cite book |last=Rodriguez |first=Sarah Mellors |url= |title=Reproductive realities in modern China : birth control and abortion, 1911-2021 |date=2023 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-009-02733-5 |location=Cambridge, United Kingdom |pages=92 |oclc=1366057905}} By the 1960s, published medical literature had acknowledged the common use of Lysol and other soaps to induce abortions, which could lead to fatal renal failure and sepsis.{{cite journal |last1=Bartlett |first1=Robert H. |last2=Yahia |first2=Clement |title=Management of Septic Chemical Abortion with Renal Failure: Report of Five Consecutive Cases with Five Survivors |journal=The New England Journal of Medicine |date=2 October 1969 |volume=281 |issue=14 |pages=747–53 |doi=10.1056/nejm196910022811401|pmid=5807922 }}

• 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").{{clarify|What is “lung rot”?|date=July 2021}}
• 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 by Sterling Drug in 1967 and Reckitt & Colman acquired L&F in 1994 when Bayer acquired Sterling-Winthrop. As of 2015 Lysol products were distributed by Reckitt Benckiser LLC of Parsippany, New Jersey.

File:Lysolshelf.jpg

Different Lysol products contain different active ingredients. Examples of active ingredients used in Lysol products:{{citation needed|date=April 2012|Lysol.com = }}

• 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 acid as an antiseptic
• hydrogen peroxide

Lysol contains P-chloro-o-benzylphenol at a 5-6% concentration. It is a [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12616287/ chemical]{{Cite journal |last=National Toxicology Program |date=January 1994 |title=NTP Toxicology and Carcinogenesis Studies of o-Benzyl-p-Chlorophenol (CAS No. 120-32-1) in F344/N Rats and B6C3F1 Mice (Gavage Studies) |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12616287/ |journal=National Toxicology Program Technical Report Series |volume=424 |pages=1–304 |issn=0888-8051 |pmid=12616287}} that is absorbed in humans through ingestion and the mucous membranes. The Globally Harmonized System of Classification of Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) has released [https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/2-Benzyl-4-chlorophenol hazard statements]{{Cite web |last=PubChem |title=2-Benzyl-4-chlorophenol |url=https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/8425 |access-date=2023-03-02 |website=pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov |language=en}} 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”.

According to their website, some of Lysol's products "have been tested by an independent third party and approved by the EPA to kill SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19, on hard, non-porous surfaces".{{Cite web|title=Help & Support|url=https://www.lysol.com/customer-support|access-date=2021-04-12|website=www.lysol.com}}

Though Lysol contains disinfecting properties, risks of misuse during the heightened sanitation practices of the COVID-19 pandemic did exist. Overuse, misuse, and improper mixing of disinfectant ingredients 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".{{Cite web |title=The Long-Term Effects of Disinfectants on Surfaces & Health |url=https://www.enviroxclean.com/blog/the-long-term-effects-of-disinfectants-on-surfaces-health |access-date=2023-03-02 |website=EnvirOx |date=9 July 2020 |language=en-US}} Acute health effects include coughing, shortness of breath, burning and watery eyes, runny nose,{{Cite web |title=A rapid review of disinfectant chemical exposures and health effects during the COVID-19 pandemic {{!}} National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health {{!}} NCCEH - CCSNE |url=https://ncceh.ca/documents/field-inquiry/rapid-review-disinfectant-chemical-exposures-and-health-effects-during |access-date=2023-03-02 |website=ncceh.ca |language=en}} and acute skin irritation.{{Cite journal |last=Goh |first=Choon |title=Dermatologic reactions to disinfectant use during the COVID-19 pandemic |journal= Clinics in Dermatology|year=2021 |volume=39 |issue=2|pages=314–322 |doi=10.1016/j.clindermatol.2020.09.005 |pmid=34272029 |pmc=7529601 }} Long-term exposure of fragrances and sanitizers in Lysol can "trigger asthma and allergies".

• 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%){{cite web|url=https://www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/cleared_reviews/csr_PC-001501_29-Sep-10_a.pdf|title=Memorandum|page=1|publisher= United States Environmental Protection Agency|access-date= 7 April 2020|date=29 September 2010}}
• Lysol Disinfecting Wipes
• Lysol Concentrate Disinfectant
• Lysol Laundry Disinfectant - contains: didecyl-dimethyl ammonium chloride and dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride - claims effiacy against P. aeruginosa and COVID-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

Lysol's major competitors include Clorox, Febreze, Tilex, Oust, Mr. Clean and Pine-Sol.

• Bactericide
• Disinfectant
• Misinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic
• Virucide

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Lysol}}

• [https://www.lysol.com Official website]
• [https://readanystory.online/lysol-history/ History of Lysol]
• {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20200930032402/https://www.klerzix.com/ Klerzix Disinfectant Wipes]}}

{{Reckitt Benckiser}}

Category:Reckitt brands

Category:Antiseptics

Category:Cleaning product brands

Category:Products introduced in 1889