Detergents don't cause allergies?!

[newwave1]

Hey Guys,
Whilst on www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk i came across this article, which interests me as one of my main things i have to have is a washing machine that rinses detergent out properly!

& here is what it said!:

"Report Proves Washing Powders Do Not Cause Skin Problems
News!We often hear that cleaning detergents used in washing machines and washer dryers cause people to have skin problems and, for many years, we have been telling people that this just isn't the case. A few days ago The Times reported that scientists have no proven that this is in fact the case. The suggestion was that biological powders and liquid detergents, which contain enzymes that "digest" dirt and stains, can irritate the skin or aggravate eczema.

The suspicion is thought to have arisen after workers manufacturing detergent enzymes suffered skin reactions. However, an association with eczema when the detergents are used in the home had not been clearly proven.

Scientists from Nottingham and London carried out a review of the evidence, looking at both normal and extreme exposures to the biological agents.

Dr Sarah Wakelin, a dermatologist at St Mary's Hospital, London, said: "Investigations of numerous individuals with skin complaints attributed to laundry products demonstrate convincingly that enzymes were not responsible.

"Indeed, enzyme-containing laundry products have an extensive history of safe use. Thus, the supposed adverse effects of enzymes on skin seem to be a consequence of mythology."

The researchers' findings appear today in the British Journal of Dermatology.

Several studies had also looked at the effects of product residues left on clothes, and found no evidence that these caused irritation.

Dr Wakelin said: "Substances must penetrate the outer skin barrier to reach the lower layers and do so in a sufficient quantity to activate the immune system in such a manner as to lead to an allergic response.

"By virtue of their size, enzymes are unlikely to penetrate the skin to any great degree. Also, enzymes in laundry products are encapsulated in a robust, inert barrier. This means that actual skin exposure will be extremely low."

You can find out more on this subject from this article which offers further help and advice. However we would advise that you should use your detergents correctly to get the best possible results and to save the danger of residues being left on clothing.

It is also highly advisable to regularly carry out a maintenance wash (You can find instructions here) or that you clean your machine internally regularly with a cleaner to avoid the build up of residues and bad smells with the likes of Afffresh washing machine and washer dryer cleaner which we recommend to ensure that your washing machine is clean internally, where you cannot see the build up of dirt and residues."

what are everybodys thoughts on this?

Personally, i hate clothes that aren't rinsed and are stiffer than cardboard. they feel horrible!

Darren.

 

[whirlcool]

Back in the 1970's my Mom used to wash our clothing in a detergent called "Miracle White". The machine she used was a 1963 Frigidare Custom Imperial.
When she started using that detergent, I had rashes all over the place, and it itched like hell. I told her I think it is the detergent. She said that was impossible. She consulted our family doctor and he said it was impossible. So my Mom said that since everyone thinks it's impossible to get a rash or other irritation from detergent, I must be doing something else to get the rash.
And my Mom stood her ground "I am NOT going to change detergents!" So I bought a box of Oxydol and did my own laundry. The rash went away immediately.
For the life of me I can't figure out why she liked Miracle White so much.....

 

[spoodles]

Not surprising.

The UK is pretty much the only place that markets non-bio as a "gentle" detergent and people have fallen for it hook, line and sinker.

If it was true, surely every single country would have non-bio as a sensitive skin detergent.

I'm sure P&G and Unilever know this, but choose not to rock the boat and continue marketing their (inferior) non-bios with images of cute babies and caring mums!

 

[mrcleanjeans]

The detergent does not have to penetrate into the skin for allergies.That article is a bunch of hookee falookee.Soap
itch is for real.BTW,why does my computer do such wrong spacing?

 

[jeffg]

Petrochemicals = billions of dollars (more) for oil companies every year.

The dead giveaway is the claim that this report "proves" something.

And also consider the source. Dr. Sarah Wakelin is a "media medic". I'd like to know which corporations are padding her coffers.

http://www.broadcasting-doctor.org/Spotlight_on_Members.html

 

[earthling177]

Well, I think the article is there basically to sell their "washer cleaner". I will say that I know people can get allergies from lots of things, detergents included -- one of the easiest ways is to constantly wash your hands and not rinse well (or even if you do), because dry skin doesn't protect you from the elements as easily and you can get rashes in no time that way. That have been said, I think that *most* of the people who complain about detergents and softeners have some other cause behind their problems. One thing people can do is avoid touching the detergents (more common when measuring powders) when loading the machines, use gloves and/or rinse your skin well. For people who are not loading the machines and are getting rashes, I find that two things seem to correct the problem: wash in hot water and rinse well, *including* using a liquid fabric softener to remove all traces of detergent.

I know a few cases personally, where the dermatologists told people (including one of my brothers) to use detergents with no enzymes and not use fabric softener. How did I find out about my brother's case? I was visiting, and had to do my laundry, so I asked them if they wanted me to put their clothes in the wash to make it a full load. They said yes and didn't tell me anything special, so I did hot washes with a TOL detergent (with enzymes and oxygen bleach) and used a fabric softener. Two days later, he's asking me what did I do that his rashes disappeared, so I told him, and he told me that every time he does laundry the way the dermatologist told him to, his rashes come back and every time he washes the way I told him to, he gets better. I told that to a friend who had the same problem, and he told me that indeed, his skin problems got better after switching to my system. What really cured my friend though, was when his doctor switched him to a generic acid reflux drug -- apparently he was allergic to an ingredient in the original drug and his skin problems completely disappeared... when his dermatologist finally consulted the PDR, they found out that skin rashes were a common side effect to that drug.

My theory is that people who have washers that have mold/mildew and residues, may actually be allergic to those no matter what they do. Clean out the washer and dryer, and then choose a TOL detergent and do hot washes to actually remove *all* the dirt from the clothes, use the measuring cup to measure accurately (I find that many people use less detergent in the mistaken belief it will be easer to rinse and/or that the manufacturers tell you to overdose -- until your clothes are actually clean and you are free of the rashes, you will have to use as much detergent as necessary to remove all traces of the dirt that is causing you skin trouble; rinse as many times as necessary to remove all traces of detergent, and use a *liquid* fabric softener to neutralize the detergent).

Last two thoughts on the matter: first off, here in US the "baby clothes" detergents, particularly Dreft, have lots of enzymes, so it's not clear to me that just because it has or fail to have enzymes the detergent will be gentler to the clothes or the skin, it's mostly what the advertisers can convince people to buy. Second, one of the most common things to cause skin rashes and allergies in general is chlorine bleach, which is rather hard to rinse, if you can smell it on your clothes, it's still there, rinse again or find a way to get it out of the clothes, like some anti-chlor rinse agent -- it doesn't have to be from the laundry either, at least a couple of cases I've heard of, the people were suffering from respiratory allergies and nothing was helping until they found out that the chlorine from the swimming pools were causing the trouble -- just by using a saline rinse in their noses right after swimming made the problem go away, and the other case was helped by showering right after the pool. YMMV.

 

[launderess]

There are other countries with "non-bio" detergents, they just don't say so on the label. Some MOL, and BOL brands of laundry detergents in the United States do not contain enzymes including, IIRC All "allergy" detergent.

IMHO persons complaining of enzyme residue causing rashes, perhaps are not having laundry rinsed clean, and there is detergent residue which can cause problems for some. There is also the fact many people go over board with enzyme containing products, such as using an enzyme containing laundry detergent, then adding enzyme containing stain treatment/oxygen bleaches, and perhaps pre-treating with another enzyme product.

Dreft for infant laundry does contain enzymes, and indeed is a very strong detergent. However it is designed to rinse clean, leaving no residue to harm baby. Well at least in theory.

As for enzyme detergents being more gentle to skin and or laundry, well can see where that is possible. Without enzymes, laundry day would be back where our grandmothers were, lots of hot water, washing soda and or other strong chemicals to shift dirt and oils. Almost by themselves, enzymes have made doing laundry in warm and even cool or cold water with the same performance as using hot or boiling wash water temperatures.

 

[gizmo]

I have VERY sensitive skin (getting worse, too) which reacts to poor rinsing and to certain detergents more than others. I have just started using a liquid which is sold as a sensitive skin formula, and it does contain enzymes. we'll see how itchy I get...

The above article is poorly written, in that it appears the tests were directed at sensitivity to ENZYMES, yet the text and especially the title suggests it has disproven sensitivity to DETERGENTS. They are two very different things.

I also have recently tried a "sensitive skin body wash" which contains mainly herbal extracts, plus sodium laureth sulphate, which is a detergent. After a week of using it daily, I had new rashes under each arm, on both legs and around the rude bits. After two weeks NOT using it, those new rashes are gone. (but the old ones on hands and feet remain.)

I believe that the link between detergents and skin rashes is well established. Rashes and enzymes, not so sure.

Chris.

 

[twinniefan]

Detergent Allergy

As a youngster I was allergic to Cold Power,Drive,and Mum's favouite-Rinso (this annoyed her as she really LOVED Rinso),and even though she dissolved it as best she could before each wash,I still broke out in hives and scratching from these.
The then family doctor indicated that it was most likely the perfumes in them which aggravated me, as Omo and Surf did not worry me.
To tell you the truth, I don't know if they would still affect me now,perhaps I might try Cold Power and Drive one day just to see.
Cheers folks.
Steve

 

[MrX]

I don't quite understand the logic of this blame of enzymes on allergic reactions. There are other components in detergents that are much more likely to cause problems.

I would say the two riskiest components are strong scents / perfumes and the surfactants in the detergent.

Enzymes seem to be scapegoated.

I know that I've had bad reactions to non-bio detergents and I sometimes suspect that they use even more surfactants and nasty chemicals than biological detergents which can remove stains without resorting to old-fashioned harsh chemicals!

Also, I would suspect that the use of heavily scented fabric softeners and dryer sheets is way more likely to be an issue as it deliberately leaves chemicals on your clothes.

The key thing is top of the line detergent and plenty of rinsing!

 

[dirtybuck]

When Drive was first introduced in the '70's, I remember my aunt telling us while we visited her on vacation that she liked the smell and the cleaning power, but it made her entire family break out with a rash. So, we took two king size boxes that she gave us back to El Paso that summer.

And recently for me, I quit using Surf with All Stain Lifters, as it gave me a very itchy rash on my stomach. When I switched to Gain, it went away.

 

[laundryshark]

Hmmm...

If detergents did not cause alergic reactions, then why are there "nonalergic" or "hypoalergic" formulations out there? But here is a tricky question: Could people still be alergic to the "sterile" detergent varieties, even without all the dyes, perfumes, preservatives, additives, etc?--Laundry Shark

 

[dascot]

I can't say exactly where the blame lies, but I am sensitive to biological detergents and not so much to non-biological. Maybe the biological detergents don't rinse out as well, or there is something in them that leaves a residue not in the non-bio, but they affect my skin.

Non-bio has too, if not rinsed properly, but that's not a problem at the moment.

The enzymes may be being scapegoated, but that article is terribly written because it is attempting to state detergents are non-allergens while claiming that it is enzymes that don't cause allergies.

 

[whirlcool]

I used to use Drive back when I was in college for a while. I loved the smell and it cleaned clothes well. I wish they'd bring it back. Anyone know why it was dropped? I never had any skin problems with Drive and for that matter I never had any skin problems from any other detergent either, just that crappy Miracle White.
BTW, I found this info about Miracle White. It was a first attempt at a "green" detergent. I didn't know that!

 

[conate]

I think it is dyes and perfumes as much as anything.

I believe that it is dyes and perfumes as much as anything, that causes reaction.

We use Biopac Laundry Detergent -- uses 2 tablespoons for our Whirlpool front loader. Very concentrated, but also has no dyes, perfumes, etc. in it.

Using anything with dyes or perfumes gives me hives. I'm glad to know it couldn't possibly be happening!!

 

[dirtybuck]

gizmo...

Don't they have P&G products there in Australia (Tide, Dash, Daz, Ariel, etc.)?

 

[vintagesearch]

im not sure what to belive but i know this much from experience:

kirkland signature (costco's brand) of fabric softener makes me sneeze like no tomorrow, wisk for some reason when using it gives my hands a rash and everywhere else, snuggle fabric softener specifically the "blue sparkle" smell makes me sneeze alot other than that i havent had any real severe rashes but wonder just how much is or isnt true also dosing takes a huge affect i only use 1 cup of softener in the dispenser and dilute it with water and never use maore tan i need in detergent. I always follow the recommendations on the package.

 

[twinniefan]

Brands in Australia

Dirtybuck,
As far as I am aware P&G products are not available here in Australia, the main 2 companies are Colgate-Palmolive and Unilever with a smattering of smaller companies in between.
The main laundry detergents available here are:
Omo-Unilever.
Surf-Unilever.
Cold Power-C.P.
Dynamo-C.P.
Spree-C.P.
Radiant-Cussons.
Drive-Unilever.
Hurricane-C.P.
A couple of green type detergents-made by small local firms,and a few other brands mostly made by local firms.

 

[MrX]

Non-Bio UK & Ireland

You have to remember that Persil Non-Bio in particular is marketed as being kind to skin. I suspect that it's actually a hypoalergenic forumula as well as being non-bio.

Just not having the enzymes is unlikely to make much difference.

Maybe unilever shoudl do some cross branding..

Persil Pure to go with Comfort Pure...

Hypoalergenic, bio with no scent?