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S 8. 0 NEWS

Soap, detergent conferees gather in Florida

The world came to hear aboutsoaps and related topics at"Soaps, Detergents, and Oleo-

chemicals: An AOCS InternationalConference and Exhibit," held Oct.7-10. 1997, at Marriott's HarborBeach Resort in Fort Lauderdale.Florida. From oleochemical rawmaterials to packaging of finishedproducts, the short-course formatfeatured broad overviews as well asin-depth analyses of topics of inter-est to those in the surfactant anddetergent fields.

Approximately 550 persons attend-ed the event, with 425 technical regis-trants from more than 50 countries.More than 120 persons from 13 Cen-tral and South American nations wereamong those participating. Presenta-tions were in English, with simultane-ous translation into Spanish. The four-day conference included a keynoteaddress, 19 technical papers, and 28poster presentations.

A more complete report on Soaps,Detergents. and Oleochemicals: AnAOCS International Conference andExhibit will appear in the inauguralissue of the Journal of Surfactantsand Detergents, January 1998.

Laundry and dish wash productsMatthew Levinson, director of com-mercial development for Stepan Co.,

L.Splu

Northfield. Illinois, spoke on trendsin laundry fabric softeners. Despitethe fact that it often is considered tobe a "luxury" product, liquid fabricsoftener continues to see increaseduse around the world, especially inmarkets where hand laundering isbeing replaced by automatic washingmachines. Reducing the overall costof the product is the primary driverfor fabric softener manufacturerstoday. with performance coming sec-

Delegates enjoy the hospitality cabanas offered by some of the conference exhibitors.

ond, according to Levinson. Formu-lators must adjust to regionalrequirements such as washingmachine configurations. modes ofdrying, packaging issues. culturalesthetics, and environmental regula-tions, Levinson said.

Carlos Ospinal, product specialistin the commercial development labo-ratories of Stepan Co., Northfield,Illinois, reviewed the status ofhousehold paste-cleaning productsworldwide. Detergents in paste formare more popular than powders orliquids in Latin America and Asia,Ospinal said. The products can befound in Mexico, Central America.Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela,Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia. ThePhilippines, and Japan.

Jose Berna, research and develop-ment director for Petresa, in Madrid,Spain, spoke on the different types oflaundry bars, formulations, andmanufacturing methods. According toBerna, laundry products in bar formrepresent over 40% of the total vol-ume of laundry products consumedworldwide. Although laundry barsaccount for only 3% of the deter-gents consumed in developed coun-tries, they represent 54% of thedetergent market in developingcountries, where 86% of washingoccurs by hand, Berna said.

Christo-pher Jacques,manager ofhome careresearch anddevelopmentfor AmwayCorporation ofAda, Michigan.reviewed the

L_CCC.CJCoc-,-,-,-,--' lau ndry, dish-washing. and

other household cleaning practices ofNorth America, Europe, Latin Ameri-ca, Asia, Japan, and India. Expandingthe laundry category to encompassindustrial and institutional (1&1) cus-tomers, Freek Schepers.DiverseyLever vice president ofresearch and development for Europe,

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1264

Illinois, gave a historical review ofsoaps and detergents. Spitz was gener-al chairperson for the conference. Therange of soap bar products was cov-ered by two conference speakers.Marcel Friedman, vice president ofresearch and development for NecaChemicals in Petach Tikva, Israel,spoke on the chemistry, formulation,performance, and processing of syndetand combo bars. Herman Kemper,applications manager of personalwash products for Unichema Interna-tional in Gouda, The Netherlands,reviewed the theory, formulation, andprocessing of translucent and transpar-ent soap bars.

Eric Jungermann. president ofJungermann Associates. Phoenix, Ari-zona, spoke on deodorant and antimi-crobial bar and liquid hand soaps,their formulations, the antimicrobialagents used, market segmentation,testing protocols, and the current regu-latory status of these products. RobertJaworski, director of personal-careproduct development for Dial Corpo-ration in Scottsdale. Arizona. exam-ined the technical attributes and bene-fits of new personal cleansing bar andbodywash products.

S& D NEWS

Attendeell perulle the poster prellentatlons on display during the conference.

(continued from page 1262)

spoke on the different types of cus-tomers that purchase 1&1 products, aswell as the formulations and equip-ment used in 1&1 fabric-washing sys-tems.

Oleochemicals1\'10 conference presenters spoke onoleochemical raw material sourcesand intermedi-ates. HamirinKini, directorof Techno-Economic andTechnicalAdvisory Ser-vices forPORIM. cov-ered the use ofpalm oil. palm L.::=::=:;:::::::::=:.J

D. Kinsmanstearin, palmkernel oil, acid oil, and fatty acid dis-ullare in making toilet and laundrysoaps. Donald Kinsman. technicaldirector of the chemicals groups atHenkel Corporation in Cincinnati,Ohio, spoke on the processes used toconvert fats and oils into the rawmaterials needed by the soap anddetergent industries.

On the topic of oleochemicalintermediates and surfactants, Nor-man Foster, director of marketing forChemithon Corporation of Seattle,Washington, spoke on the manufac-

lure of methyl ester sulfonates. Fattymethyl esters have become the mostflexible intermediate in the detergentindustry, Foster said. Fats and oilscan be processed into useful deter-gent products by transesterification tomethyl ester intermediates whichthen can be used directly for someapplications, or can be hydrogenatedto form saturated fatty methyl estersor processed into fatty alcohols, hesaid. By-products of the processinginclude glycerine, ~-carotenes, andtocopherols, which have a marketpotential.

Ricardo Diez, research and devel-opment manager at the Dublin Techni-cal Center of ,--------,the Witco Cor-poration inDublin, Ohio,spoke on thereemergence ofa-olefin sul-fonate (AOS)s u r f ac t a n r s .Peter Jiirges,newly retiredfrom his posi-tion as director of research and devel-opment at Hoechst AG, Frankfurt,Germany, spoke on the sugar surfac-tants N-methylglucamide (NMGA)and alkylpolyglucoside.

R. Diez

SoapLuis Spitz, of L Spitz, Inc., Skokie,

Other aspects of productionBarry Goldberg, director of the pack-aging group of Technomic Consul-tants International, Northbrook, illi-nois, reviewedthe trends anddevelopments insoap and deter-gent packaging.Hans-JUrgenKIUppel, direc-tor of the pro-cess and envi-ronmental man-agement depart- H.-J.KlOppelment III thedetergents and cleaning products sec-tion at Henkel KGaA in DUsseldorf,Germany, spoke on environmentalaspects of the soap and detergent mar-kets.

Judith Zweig, a partner of Wern-er-Gershon Associates in Stamford.Connecticut, spoke on how suppliersto the detergent and personal-careindustries should adopt the consumerproduct companies' philosophy that

INFORM, Vol. 8. no. 12 (December 1997)

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"the customer comes first:' Perfor-mance evaluation is one of the tools ofthe technological innovation process,which is generally oriented to bettersatisfying consumer needs. accordingto Rodrigo Olmedo. director generalof Detertec SA in Quito. Ecuador.Olmedo spoke on developing compel-

itive advantages through performanceevaluation of laundry products.

Sponsors of the conference wereCrosfield Co., Binacchi & Co., FMCCorporation, and the Journal of Sur-[actants and Detergents. Participatingorganizations were the Japan OilChemists' Society (JDeS) and Palm

Oil Research Institute of Malaysia(PORIM).

Conference cochairpersons wereWilliam Blewett of Henkel Corpora-tion and Wilma Gorman of StepanCompany. The poster chairperson wasRene Maldonado of FMC Corp,Princeton, New Jersey.

SDO conference exhibitorsForty-nine finns exhibited products and services at the con-ference held Oct. 7-10, 1997. in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Plant construction and equipmentACMA GD, Via Cristoforo Colombo 1,40131 Bologna,Italy. The ACMA group makes equipment that supports theconsumer goods packaging industry with equipment forultra high-speed wrapping. net weight fillers for liquid andfree-Flowing dry product. and others.

Ballestra SpA, Via P. Portaluppi, 17. 20138 Milano,Italy. Ballestra S.p.A. offers process plants and equipmentfor the surfactants and detergents industry.

Binacchi & Co., Via Gramsci 84, Gazzada Schianno21045, Italy. Binacchi displayed information on its line ofbar soap wrappers and its vapor extractor, which promisedcleaner water and less fines.

Britannia Soap Machinery Co., I Cranmere Court,Lustteigh Close. Exeter, Devon EX2 8PW, United King-dom. Britannia featured information on its recent techno-logical developments. including its Neuma- Torq high-speed soap cutter, CryoStamp liquid nitrogen soap diechilling system, and hydraulic drive system for soap plod-ders.

Confalonieri Soap Machinery SNC, Via G. Verdi,169-20038 Seregno, Milano, Italy. Confalonieri providessaponification and other equipment for the soap industry.

Chemithon Corporation, 5430 W. Marginal Way, SW,Seattle, WA 98106-\598. Chemithon featured continuoussulfonationlsulfation process equipment to produce surfac-rants for the detergent, specialty chemical, and petroleumindustries.

Crown Iron Works Company, P.O. Box 1364, Min-neapolis, MN 55440. Crown Iron Works provides completedesign and supply services for the oleochemical and relatedindustries. Recent projects include a methyl ester plant forproducing methyl ester sulfonate feedstock from crudepalm and palm kernel oil.

Draiswerke Inc" 40 Whitney Road, Mahwah, NJ07430. Draiswerke offered information on its soapmakingequipment, including a laboratory-size soap reactor. andexhibited a pilot-plant size wet microgrinding/dispersing,double-cylinder perl mill. type OCP.

Eurostampt, 6035 Hubeny St., North Judson, IN46366. Eurostampi offers soap dies for all makes of soappresses.

Guerze' Mario, Via C. Prampolini, 21, Rublera (RE).42048, Italy, has been manufacturing packaging machinesfor 35 years. produces stretch wrappers, pleat wrappers,banders, ffowpack wrappers, and vertical form fiU and sealmachines.

IMA North America Inc" 418 Meadow St., Fairfield,cr 06430. Industria Macchine Automatiche North Ameri-ca displayed information on its bundling and case-packingequipment.

I.M.S.A. SRL. Via Roverero 13. 2\052 Busto Arsizio(VA), Italy. IMSA is a supplier to the soap industry, includ-ing batch or continuous saponification plants, vacuum dry-ing systems. toilet or laundry soap finishing lines, syndetbar lines, and liquid detergent plants.

Kleen Brite Laboratories Inc., 200 State St., Brock-port, NY 14420. KJeen Brite Laboratories produces house-hold laundry detergents. Its capabilities include spray-driedlaundry detergent, Ultra 2, Ultra liquids, and fabric soften-«S.

Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd. (Mfg. Div.), No. 1245,Kundang Industrial Estate. 48020 Rawang, Selangor DarulEhsan, Malaysia. The Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd. groupoperates an oleochemical complex in Malaysia wherePalm-Oleo Sdn. Bhd. produces vegetable oil-derived fatlyacids and glycerine; KSP Manufacturing Sdn. Bhd. pro-duces vegetable oil-based soap noodles; and PalmamideSdn. Bhd. produces ethylene-bis-stearamide and coconutdiethanolamide.

Littleford Day Inc .• 7451 Empire Drive, Florence, KY41042. Littleford Day Inc. manufactures processing equip-ment including horizontal mixers (batch and continuous).granulators, agglomerators, vacuum dryers, conical mixers.sigma mixers. vertical high-intensity mixers, liquid dis-persers, pressure reactors, and high-speed processors fordetergent densification. It also provides pilot-plant and lab-oratory equipment.

Lurgi 01 Gas Chemie GmbH, Lurgiallee 5, 60295Frankfurt. Germany. Lurgi, FrankfurtlMain, and its U.S.partner. Lurgi Corporation, offer expertise in the planningand construction of complete plants for processing nonedi-ble oils (animal and vegetable base) into high-purity fattyacids, phannaceutical-grade glycerine, methyl esters, andsaturated and unsaturated fatty alcohols and their pure frac-tions.

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Mazzoni LB S.p.A., Viale Trentino 10/12,21052 BustoArsizio (VA), Italy. Mazzoni displayed information on itsEcodryer liquid/vapor separator, SI- 100 centrifugal separa-tor for continuous saponification processes, glycerine andrefining plants, and other equipment.

Meccenfche Moderne SRL Chemical Plant Division,Corso Sempione N. 32, P.O. Box 388, 21052 BustoArsizio. Italy. Meccaniche Moderne offers a completerange of equipment and plants for soaps, detergents, andsulfonation industries.

SAS Mariani Tommaso, P.O. Box 17,20038 Seregno,Italy. SAS offered information on soap finishing lines, soappresses and cutlers, and bar-soap packaging machinery.

SED TEK, 60 Honeck St.. P.O. Box 5505, Engelwood,NJ 07631. SED TEK provides soap dies that fit virtually allpresses, as well as design and model-making capabilities.The firm offers designs, company news, and other informa-tion at its web site (http://www.sedtek.com).

SELA Maschinen GmbH, Braunschweiger Tor 17, D-38350 Helmstedt, Germany, P.O. Box 1520, D-3A335Helmstedt, Germany. From oil and fat to soap tablet, SELAsupplies all the necessary equipment.

Sigma Equipment Corporation, 39 WestmorelandAve., White Plains, NY 10606. Sigma makes bar-soapmanufacturing machines in the United States. New produc-tion and laboratory machines were exhibited, including thecompany's Le Laboratory extruderlrefiner model.

TEXMAC/Sato Iron Works Co., Ltd., No. 5-4, 4-Chome, Takaida-Nishi, Higashi-Osaka-Shi, Osaka, 577Japan. Sato lron Works manufactures and exports soapmachines and plants.

Veronesi Separator! SpA, Via Don Minzoni, 1-40050,Villanova di Castenaso, 8010gna, Italy. veronesi manufac-tures centrifuges for the soap industry.

InstrumentationAEC Inc., 80 I AEC Drive, Wood Dale, Il, 60191-1198.AEC designs and manufactures process fluid chillers andtemperature-control units for soap plodders and roll mills,and special temperature die chillers for soap presses. Com-plete process heating and cooling systems are alsodesigned, manufactured. and installed.

Ingredients, supplies, and chemicalsAir Products and Chemicals Inc., 7201 Hamilton Blvd.,Allentown, PA 18195-1501. Air Products and Chemicalsprovides supply, support, and technical applications forhydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen; membrane and P$A nitro-gen, nitrogen sparging and blanketing; hydrogenation, tem-porary hydrogen and nitrogen service. The company offersa variety of amines for surfactants including methylamines(MMA, DMS, TMA), dimethylaminopropylamine(OMAPA), and higher and specialty amines.

Bell Flavors & Fragrances, 500 Academy Drive,Northbrook, IL 60062. Bell Flavors & Fragrances offersfragrances for the soaps and detergents industries.

BFGoodrich, 9911 Brecksville Road, Cleveland, OH44141. BFGoodrich specializes in polymers for use in

A soap centrifuge on display In Veronesl Seperatorl's exhibitbooth

home-care and 1&1products. Its products include Carbopolrheology modifiers, Pemulen polymeric emulsifiers, andGood-Riif dispersants.

Clariant Corporation, 4331 Chesapeake Drive, Char-lotte, NC 28216. Clariant displayed its line of raw materialsfor detergents and personal-care products, including alcoholethoxylates, builders, optical brighteners, isothemates, andether carboxylates, as well as other specialty chemical prod-ucts.

The Cooper Group Inc., 6882 South 670 East, Mid-vale, UT 84047. Specialists in industrial maintenancechemicals, The Cooper Group provides raw chemicals,contract packaging, and soaps for industrial use.

Crosfield Company, 101 Ingalls Ave., Joliet, IL 60435.Crosfield offered information on its Doucil A24 P-typedetergent zeolite as well as its complete range of silicas.silicates, and metasilicares.

Degussa Corporation, 65 Challenger Road, RidgefieldPark, NJ 07660. Degussa is a supplier or active oxygenproducts including hydrogen peroxide, sodium perborate,sodium percarbonate, persulfates, and peracetic acid. Thefirm's Peralkali alkaline-stable hydrogen peroxide is forcolor-safe bleach formulations of high alkalinities.

Florida Chemical Company Inc., 351 Winter HavenBlvd. NE, Winter Haven, FL 33881-9432: Ronda Chemi-cal Co. is a supplier of d-Iimonene, orange terpenes, cold-pressed citrus oils, and a proprietary terpene emulsifier, E-Z-Mulse.

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TUm-of-the-eentury "Wonder Washer" on display al the TextileInnovators Corp. el(hlblt booth

Henkel Corporation Chemicals Group, 4900 EsteAve., Cincinnati. OH 45232. The Emery Oleochemicalsand CD Divisions of Henkel Chemicals Group supply abroad range of fatty acids, surfacrams, and specially rawmaterials to make or enhance soaps, detergents, and house-hold cleaners.

Oil-Dr! Corporation of America, 410 N. MichiganAve., Chicago. lL 60611. Oil-Dri Corp. featured irs spe-cialty adsorbents including Pure-Flo and Pure-AD Supremebleaching adsorbents for the purification of fats, oils andoleochemicals. and Select 350 selective adsorbent for theremoval of soaps, metals, and phospholipids.

Qulmlca Sumex, S.A. de C. V" lnsurgentes Sur 1971-Torre Sur-Piso 5, Col. Guadalupe Inn, Mexico OF, Mexico.The Sud-Chemic Group offers aluminosilicates in powdersand granules for addition to soaps and detergents. Informa-tion was offered on Laundro and Fulasoft production facili-ties in France, Mexico, and Peru.

RhOne-PouJene, CN 7500/Pr0spect Plains Road, Cran-bury, NJ 08512. Rh6ne-Poulenc offers customers ingredi-ents and systems 10 meet specific cleansing and condition-ing needs. including its Geropon isethionates and taurates,Jaguar modified guar polymers. Miranol ultra amphoterics,and Miracare performance systems.

Stepan Company, 22 W. Frontage Road, Nonhfield, II.60093. Stepan manufactures surfactants and specialtychemicals for the laundry-care and cleaning industry.

Uniehema North America, 4650 S. Racine Ave.,

Chicago, IL 60609. Unichema International produces fattyacids, glycerine. soap noodles, specialty esters, amides,polymerized fany acids. and nickel catalysts.

Warwick International Group Ltd., Mostyn, Holy-well, Clwyd Ch8 9HE. Wales. Warwick's Mykon series ofbleach activators are specifically designed as low-tempera-ture activators, based on tetraacetylerhylenediamine, foruse in the activation of solid peroxygen systems in laundrydetergents, hard-surface cleaners, biocides, textile bleach-ing, and pulp bleaching.

Wilco Corporation, One American Lane, Greenwich,cr 06831. Witco offered information on a-olefin sulfonatesurfactams.

MiscellaneousHewin Imerneuonet Inc.. Van Leyenberghlaan 159, P.O.Box 7813,1008 AA Amsterdam, The Netherlands. HewinInternational offered information on all the reports avail-able through its oleotechnical-commercial developmentprogram.

Palm Oil Research tnsmute of Malaysia, 1900 24thSt. NW, Washington. DC 20008. PORIM provided infor-mation on Malaysian palm oil and its downstream productsfor edible and nonedible applications.

Reed Chemical Publications, Quadrant House, TheQuadrant, Sunon. Surrey SM2 5S5. England. Reed Chemi-cal Publications displayed its portfolio of international spe-cialist publications for the chemicals industry, includingPerformance Chemicals International.

werner-Gershon Associates, 915 Sylvan Lane,Mamaroneck. NY 10543. werner-Gershon Associates is aunique management consulting firm to the chemical indus-try. It specializes in assisting clients to determine growthopponunities through strategic analyses and in-depth mar-ket and competitive assessments.

Test materials and servicesEquest Research, Equest House, Greencroft Industrial Park,Annfield Plain, Stanley, Co. Durham 0119 7YB, England.Equest Research supplies tailor-made lest fabrics to the deter-gent industry. Its products are made to customer specifica-tions. All stains are consistent, with no chemical additives.

Testfabrlcs Inc., 200 Blackford Ave., P.O. Box 420,Middlesex, NJ 08846. Testfabrics Inc. displayed informa-tion on its production of textile test materials and its ser-vices for detergency and related fields.

Textile Innovators Corp/wfk America, P.O. Box 8,Windsor, NC 27983. Textile Innovators provides soiledfabrics, dyed fabrics, and specialty items for product devel-opment. quality control, and standardization in the deter-gent, chemical, and washing machine industries.

Soap manufactureInternational Soap & Cosmetics, The Dial Corporation,1850 N. Central Ave., #1810, Phoenix, AZ 85004.lnterna-tional Soap & Cosmetics (lsq is the "boutique shop" ofsoap manufacturers. A subsidiary of the multinational DialCorporation, ISC is a leading manufacturer of unique spe-cialty soaps and soap bases.

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APE producers offering data, cooperation

CH - ......, T~CH,-CH,-<fH-CH,-~ VO-(CH,CH,O).H

CH, CH,

n=1 -100One major laomer 01 nonylphenolethoxylates

An old surfactant that has battled forrespectability over five decades isunder renewed attack.

Alkylphenol ethoxylate (APE) SUt-

factants have been around a long time.despite charges by environmentalactivists thai APE's biodegradationintermediates arc more toxic thanAPE itself. More recently. APEs havebeen linked by activists 10a newer andperhaps more ominous environmentalscare: "endocrine disrupting chemi-cals" (EDC). or chemicals that havethe potential to disrupt natural hor-mone systems in humans and wildlife.

The issue is not a trivial one. asapproximately 880 million pounds ofAPEs are used annually throughoutthe world, with the United Slatesaccounting for 550 million pounds. Atan average price of 50-60 cents apound, that means the global value isabout $450 million to $525 million.Within the APE market. 80--85% issold as nonylphenol ethoxylate (NPE).over 15% as octylphenol (OP) ethcxy-late. and I% each as dinonylphenoland dodecylphcnol erboxytares.

carboxylic acids APIEC and AP2EC.This leaves several degradation prod-ucts: short-chain ethoxylates. theircarboxylic acids. and alkyl phenols.Solubility decreases as the emoxytetechain shortens, until finally the rem-nant nonylphenol adsorbs onto sus-pended solids or sediment. Also, APEtoxicity increases as the length ofethoxylate chain shortens. Of all thedegradation products. AP is oftenstudied because it is more toxic thanits etboxylare.

APEs show a lower extent of ulti-mate biodegradation than a linear non-aromatic hydrophobe due to thebranched alkyl chain and phenoxyring. Primary biodegradability of APEis increased by a decrease in EOgroups, an increase in length and lin-earity of the alkyl side chain. andpositioning of the phenol group at theterminus of the alkyl chain.

The term "primary" degradation isused to describe the loss of a measur-able chemical characteristic of a com-pound, such as APE surfactant proper-ties. It can also be defined as the com-plete disappearance of the startingmaterial. Ultimate degradation. how-ever. involves the complete conversionof a compound to CO2 and water, orincorporation into biomass.

Still, industry experts maintainthat all organic compounds arebiodegradable-it is simply a func-tion of temperature. time. and otherconditions.

"Most people assume that NPEdegrades primarily into NP. and thatNP is not biodegradable. That is afalse assumption," said Chris Vanden-Heuvel. director of public affairs atAPE maker Huntsman Corporation, of

Biodegradation and toxicityThe question of whether APEsdegrade into alkylphenols (APs) is atthe center of the debate. As early asthe mid-1980s, environmentalistscharged that the biodegradation inter-mediates of APEs not only were moretoxic to aquatic species than APEsthemselves bUI also remained longerthan expected in sediment and sewagesludge and could bioaccumulate inaquatic plants and animals.

R-@--OHAlkylphcnol (AP)

During degradation. APE's ethyl-ene oxide (EO) units are cleaved offthe ethoxylate chain until only short-chain APE homologs remain. typical-ly mono- and diethoxylates (APIEOand AP2EO). Oxidation of theseoligomers creates the corresponding

Salt Lake City, Utah. "NPE degradesmostly into products other than NP,but even NP is biodegradable:'

VandenHeuvel serves as head ofthe communications task group of theAlkylphenols and Ethoxylates (APE)Panel of the Chemical ManufacturersAssociation (CMA). The panel wasformed in 1987 as an association ofmanufacturers, processors. users, andraw material suppliers.

During the past year, the panelexpanded from 13 to 23 member com-panies, and includes chemical produc-ers such as Dow Chemical Co .. Hunts-man Corp., and Union Carbide; spe-cialty chemical makers such as CibaSpecialty Chemical Corp., GE Spe-cialty Chemicals, and Rhcne-Poulenc;and APE users such as The Dial Cor-poration and S.c. Johnson & Son Inc.According to VandenHeuvel, the APEPanel is growing as APE makers andusers realize that information dissemi-nation is of great importance.

"The APE-producing companieshave been doing studies for years, butthe data were not very well publi-cized. Even some of their own cus-tomers did not know about data beingavailable," VandenHeuvel said.

In 1997, the APE Panel spent$770.000 on environmental monitor-ing and toxicity studies. Among thesponsored research are three continu-ing projects: assessing the fate of NPEas they move through septic tank sys-tems and ieachfields, acute and chron-ic toxicity studies of nonylphenoxy-acetic and ocrytpbenoxyeceuc acids.and a study to better understand themetabolism, disposition, and pharma-

(connnuedonpagl! 1271)

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(continued/rom page 1269)

cokinencs of NP in rats."We're trying to do all the right

things to ensure environmental safety,and ultimately, human safety," saidCarter Naylor, a research chemist withHuntsman and member of the APEPanel's technical task group,

The panel has done the most exten-sive research on the environmentalchemistry, aquatic toxicity, andbiodegradation of APEs. At theCESIO 4th WorldSurfactant Congressin Barcelona, Spain, June 3-7, 1996,John Weeks of S.c. Johnson & SonInc, in Racine, Wisconsin, presentedthe panel's quantitative risk assess-ment that claimed a low degree of risk10the environment from NP.

Recently completed APE Panelstudies include the comprehensivestudy of 30 U.S. rivers, where concen-trations, when found, were less thanone microgram NP per liter of water,with 70% of the water samples show-ing no trace of NP. Other studies inCanada and the United Kingdomreport similar findings, with theexception of sites lacking adequatewastewater treatment.

The endocrine questionAlthough an older concern, APE'saquatic toxicity appears to have takena back seat to the new EDC issue.Endocrine disruption encompassesreproductive, neurological, and othereffects chemicals can have on anorganism depending on the timing,type, and potency of the disruption.Although high concentrations of

chemicals are needed to induce effectsin laboratory animals, some APs havebeen implicated in the hypothesis thatlow-level exposure can disrupt thehuman endocrine system. Proponentsof this theory say EDCs may beresponsible for estrogenic effects seenin wildlife and argue that some studiesshow decreasing sperm counts inhumans and increasing incidents ofcertain cancers (see "Endocrine dis-ruptors take center stage").

While the accusations are new, test-ing about adverse effects on theendocrine system is not. According tothe APE Panel, the chemical industryhas tested over several decades foradverse effects, including reproductiveeffects. For example, NPE is not oftenused as a main ingredient, exceptwhen used as nonoxynol-9. the mostcommonly used active ingredient inspermicides. This provides a goodexample of the safety of NPE, Naylorsaid. To be marketed as a spermicide,NPE had to undergo various pharma-ceutical studies that looked at humansafety. reproductive system effects,and toxicity in order to convince theU.S. Food and Drug Administration(FDA) of the safety of NPE.

"Even when we design studiesespecially to look for endocrineeffects, we do not find anything sig-nificant," said John Van Miller, a toxi-cologist at Union Carbide in Danbury,Conneticut.

Much of the current debate focuseson the effect of APEs on aquatic life.

"We have always advocated pro-tecting against aquatic toxicity. If we

C H ~O-CH-CH-O-CH-CH-OH919~ 2 2 22

Table1Estrogenic potency of NPEs

EstradiolNPNPIECNP2EONP9EONP40EO

1.00000000.00000900.00000630.0000060OJ)OOOO02

NotsignificantSource: Jobl;n,. S., and J.P. Sumpter, Dctcrgem rom-ponent.!in sewaac effluent....,wcalr.lyewo&cnictolim: an ilt ";r", study usin, rainbow !rout I'IcPIUocytes.,Aquatic Toxicology 17:361-372 (1993).

do, we also protect against any poten-tial endocrine system effects," VanMiller said.

NP has some very weak estrogen-like effects, but experts maintain thatthere must be very high levels of NPover a substantial period of time toresult in observable effects. The samegoes for NP1EO and NP2EO, as wellas the carboxylic acids formed duringdegradation, all of which demonstrateweaker estrogenic effects than NP(Table I). According to Van Miller,OP is somewhat more potent than NPin vitro, but less potent in vivo. Envi-ronmental activists, however, claimthat very low levels of NP may stillcause effects.

One study from Tulane Universityin 1996 reported that chemicalsexhibiting weak estrogenic effects bythemselves could synergistically inter-act to produce more powerfulendocrine disruption effects. Thisinformation was cited to assert that theeffects of EDCs could not be estimat-

C H ~O-CH-CH-OH919~ 2 2

Nonylpbenol Dietboxylate (NP2EO) Nonylpbenol Monoetboxylate (NPIEO)

C H ~O-CH-COOH9 19~ 2

C H ~O-CH-CH-O-CH-COOH919~ 22 2

NPIECMolecular structurea af NP mono- and dlethoxylatea end the corresponding carboxylic acid metaballl.a

NP2EC

INFORM. Vol. 8, no. 12 (December 1997)

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Switzerland removed 70% of NPE ona weight basis. The APE Panel's stud-ies, however. have shown a removalrate of 95% or greater of highermolecular weight NPE (with 3-20 EOunits) under normal secondarywastewater treatment conditions,according to Naylor.

"If you have good biological wastetreatment, APEs are really not a prob-lem," Naylor said. "They are fullytreatable."

Naylor insists that any NP hotspots measured in the environment area problem with overall pollution, notwith NP.

"Do you ban the substance found inwater and leave the river dirty or do youpush for cleaning up the pollution thatcaused the hot spot? I think it dependson who is paying for it. It's (politically)popular to make industry take symbolicaction with its own money rather thanincrease public taxes to build a wastetreatment plant," Naylor said.

Biological wastewater treatment isnot as consistent throughout Europe asin the United States, as each nationhas its own standards and infrastruc-ture capabilities to provide wastetreatment.

"One river in Europe with high lev-els of NP was lined with wool millsthat scour wool with APEs. Thewastewater was minimally treated,and the river was like an open sewer.Yet the government officials pointedto NPE rather than to the pollution. Incases like these. you can take out theNP, but you would still have an opensewer," Naylor said.

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ed on toxicity thresholds. ican Forest and Paper Association,ngress jumped on this and used and the American Petroleum Institutestrong emphasis for getting the deciding to meet regularly to sharessue into the Food Quality Pro- industry research.n Act and the Safe Drinking Why so many different industries?Act reauthorization," Naylor According to the APE Panel. manyoth acts contained elements chemicals important to virtually everyto the endocrine issue. industry have tested positive in vari-lier this year, however. the cus preliminary screening tests forUniversity research group offi- endocrine-disrupting effects.

retracted its published findings, "From the human health standpoint,that the observed results had the endocrine issue looms large," Nay-unreproducible. Although that lor said. "But nobody knows if the

ion would appear to give some reported effects are real, how to screening room to the chemicals under for these substances, or if people aree momentum of the EDC issue exposed to significant amounts."

ve hard to stop. Of course, NP is not just a questionr industry will have to deal mark for surfactants. While NPE mayis issue for a long. long time," garner the most attention at times,said. there are a few other uses with poten-chemical industry is rising to rial for human exposure to NP.Ilenge, with the CMA planning "For 40 years, NP derivatives havend more than $4 million on been used in PVC food packaging inne-related research by the year very small amounts. It has been

While not specifically dedicated around so long it predates the FDA'sarch on APEs, the EDC studies industrial food oversight. It waselp the supporters of APE. grandfathered as GRAS (generally

A as a whole has to deal with recognized as safe), and it is unclear ifa generic level, such as EDC FDA would be concerned about theo-

and screening for such chemi- retical endocrine effects from suchey do not get involved in the incredibly small amounts of a GRAS

logy of a specific chemical," substance. I know the plastics industrynHeuvel said. is working 10 clarify these issues withers have a keen interest in the FDA," Naylor said.as well. The Endocrine Issueson was formed in J 996 with the Wastewater treatmentChlorine Chemistry Council, How much NP ends up in the environ-

al Crop Protection Association, ment? In 1994, Swiss scientists report-y of the Plastics Industry, Amer- ed that sewage treatment works in

European viewpointThe CESIO (European surfacrants andchemical intermediates organization)APE Task Force is the Europeancounterpart to the CMA APE Panel.The two groups work together. butdeviate some due to differences withintheir respective regions of the world.The United States has a more exten-sive monitoring system that made iteasier to compile environmental con-centration data.

APEs were first introduced into theUnited Kingdom in 1944, but by 1976had been voluntarily phased out ofdomestic detergents. Detection of NPand its ethoxylates in European rivers

INFORM.Vol. 8, no. 12 (December 1997)

and wastewater treatment plants led totheir removal from cleaning products.European "voluntary bans" on APEfollowed soon thereafter on a country-by-country basis.

The wool scouring industry in theUnited Kingdom leaned heavily onAPE as a co-surfactant with alkylben-zene sulfonate (ABS), according toRichard Farn. director of the BritishAssociation for Chemical Specialties.After ABS was blamed for foamingrivers in the 1950s and 1960s, theindustry switched to the more environ-mentally benign linear alkylbenzenesulfonate (LAS). Attention thenturned to APE.

"In northern and central Europe,APE is an old story," said Hans-JurgenKltippel. head of the process and envi-ronmental management department inthe detergents and cleaning productssection at Henkel KGaA in DUssel-dorf, Germany. "Consumer detergentsand cleaners were stripped of APE

more than 10 years ago based entirelyon the toxicity question about APEbiodegradation metabolites, through avoluntary agreement between industryand governments within certain coun-tries. In Germany, we have such a vol-untary agreement between groupssuch as the IKW (German soap anddetergent association), TEGEWA(association of surfactant manufactur-ers), and the governmental ministries,"

In other European countries, theremay not be any legal restrictionsagainst APE. but its use has droppedmore or less the same throughoutEurope, KlUppelsaid.

"No countries use APE in con-sumer products in Europe. but it isstill used in industrial processes andproducts," Kltippel said.

According to VandenHeuvel. onlySwitzerland has a regulatory ban onAPE, but the use of voluntary agree-ments between government and indus-try has accomplished much the same.

The United Kingdom had phased outAPEs in wool washing in England andWales by the end of 1996 without agovernment ban. Both the BritishAssociation for Cleaning Specialtiesand the (UK) Soap and DetergentIndustry Association, which share ajoint Industrial Products Group. havereached a voluntary agreement withtheir members to remove APEs fromall industrial and institutional deter-gents in 1998.

'This does not include the use ofAPEs in solvent degreasers, emulsionpolymerization agents, and agricultur-al chemicals, for example," Farn said.

The industry recommendations,however, came about as much by pay-ing attention to the market as to theenvironment.

"All the environmental pressuregroups have latched onto APEs. Theyalso latched onto the endocrine disrup-tion issue. Regardless of the scientificbasis for their motives, it is not good

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INFORM, Vol. 8, no. 12 (December 199n

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news for APE. That's why we haverecommended withdrawal of APE fromindustrial detergents," Faro said.

The pressure on APE bas comefrom European governments as well.Denmark has proposed water qualitycriteria for NP and NPE of I ~g/Iiterand is moving toward banning APs by2000. Members of the Danish Cos-metics, Toiletries. Soap, and DetergentIndustries Association already havephased out use of APs.

In addition, the Oslo and ParisCommissions (OSPARCOM) admin-ister the Oslo and Paris Conventionsfor the Prevention of Marine Pollu-tion, to which most west Europeannations subscribe. In 1992, the repre-sentative of Sweden introduced a rec-ommendation among Paris Conven-tion countries for a voluntary phase-out of NPEs in domestic cleaningproducts by 1995 and out of industrialcleaning products by 2000. The rec-ommendation did not affect industrial

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uses and did not deter the use of OPEor production and use of APs.

In 1996, Sweden proposed toOSPARCOM that NP, OP, and theirethoxylates be phased out of all appli-cations that might result in any expo-sure to the environment. CESIO andthe APE Panel provided APE researchand use data to OSPARCOM. whichin tum temporarily halted considera-tion of the new proposal. Sweden laterelected not to reintroduce the propos-al, but instead suggested a biodegrada-tion workshop on NP and NPEs.

The move away from APE inEurope was accomplished mostlythrough the data gleaned from labora-tory studies, not on environmentalmonitoring studies. Kliippel said.Field data are usually looked on asmore realistic and representative byresearchers, but obtaining field datacosts more and introduces more vari-ables, some of which cannot be con-trolled.

"You can show something in a lab-oratory, but that is not as important asproving the same effect in the environ-ment. We have been focusing on thelatter," VandenHeuvel said.

The environmental data deficit maybe rectified in the next round of test-ing brought on by the concerns aboutEDCs. Several EDC research pro-grams are underway in Europe, withsome being performed in conjunctionwith Japanese authorities and theCMA in the United States, Kliippelsaid. Earlier this year, the U.S. Envi-ronmental Protection Agency and theEuropean Union Directorate GeneralXII set up a joint working group tocoordinate research on EDCs.

"The German chemical associationhas started a sizable research programon EOCs in conjunction with the Euro-pean chemical association, and APEwill naturally be reviewed in thateffort," Kliippel said. "The new empha-sis placed on endocrine disrupters givesan additional push to formulate theremaining products away from APE,"

Around the worldAdditional European and U.S. studiesmay indeed have an adverse effect onglobal APE usage, regardless of theirresults.

"Paradoxically, it is often the most-

studied chemicals that raise the great-est fears:' said Kent Fuller, executivedirector of the Australian ChemicalSpecialties Manufacturers Associa-tion. based in Melbourne. Australia."People get worried simply becausethe toxicology of a substance is well-characterized. They seem prepared totrade a known and manageable hazardfor one that is less understood."

NPE is used in the Australian woolscouring industry, and some APEs areused in industrial cleaning, agricultur-al chemical formulations, and cuttingoils for metalworking.

"In Australia, there is no restrictionon formulation with APEs at themoment. although there is an increas-ing discussion about them among reg-ulators and pressure groups," Fullersaid.

Household product manufacturers.however. stopped using NPE in theirlarge-volume laundry detergents in theearly 1970s, Fuller said. At that time,the industry undertook a voluntaryagreement with the regulatory authori-ties to avoid any surfactants that mightnot meet appropriate rates forbiodegradation.

Likewise. within the Japan Soapand Detergent Association and gov-ernment, there is an understandingthat APEs will not be used in house-hold cleaning products. The demandfor APEs, however, is strong, particu-larly in developing nations andregions where cost-effectiveness is all-important. GT Petrochem Industriesof Merak, West Java, Indonesia, isbuilding an erhoxytanon plant for pro-ducing alkylphenol- and fatty alcohol-based cthoxylates for detergents.

Still. many countries are watchingthe APE issue as it plays out inEurope and the United States to see ifit is possible to determine the real riskversus perceived risk. Some in theindustry think Europe probably willcontinue to run from APEs, whetherofficially banned or not, while theUnited States is more likely to usepollution control or surfactant sourcereduction instead.

"Pollution prevention would bene-fit more than just one chemical," saidBarbara Losey, chairperson for thePanel's ITC task group and a regulate-

[continued on page 1276)

INFORM. Vol. 8. no. 12 (December 1997)

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S& 0 NEWS

(continued/rom page 1274)

ry and public affairs specialist forRhOne-Poulenc Surfactants in Cran-bury, New Jersey.

With no pending regulatory restric-tions in the United States, the APEPanel feels the market for APEs isexcellent. Still, to keep the future ofAPEs free from unnecessary govern-ment intervention and crushing pres-sure from environmental organiza-tions, the industry must change thegrowing public opinion that a chemi-cal requiring further study is guiltyuntil proven innocent.

"The assumptions made aboutAPEs over the last 20 or 30 years havebeen incorrect," VandenHeuvel said.

"We're doing what we can to set therecord straight."

What are APEs?The starting material for APE isalkylphenol (AP), manufactured byreacting branched olefins with phenol.The nine-carbon branched nonylgroup is attached to the aromaticchemical phenol. The main use of APsis to manufacture APEs. althoughother uses for APs include preparationof phenolic resins, polymers, heat sta-bilizers, antioxidants, and curingagents. APEs are manufactured byreacting AP with ethylene oxide (EO),to yield a polyethoxylate surfactant.

In the United States, industrial uses

Endocrine disruption chemicalsFound in plants and animals, hor-mones are chemicals produced by theendocrine system in one part of thebody and carried by the blood toanother part to produce a specificeffect. A hormone fits its receptorsite like a key fits a lock, and canstart a sequence of events that rangesfrom multiplying cells to killingcells, or even producing other hor-mones.

A chemical that impersonates ahormone can fit the same receptorand tum it on at the wrong time. Or ahormone may act as a broken key andblock the real hormone from access-ing the receptor site.

The female hormones called estro-gens are an animal product but phy-roestrogens present in many vegeta-bles and grains also can produce hor-monal effects in animals. Also, syn-thetic estrogens are available fromthe pharmaceutical industry.

The nonanimal compounds can becalled xenoestrogens or environmen-tal estrogens. These and other hor-mone-like chemicals are endocrinemodulators or disrupters (if the effectis considered adverse).

Testing for endocrine disruption inthe United States was mandated bythe Food Quality Protection Act andthe Safe Drinking Water Act, bothpassed in 1996. In response, EPA setup the Endocrine Disrupters Screen-ing and Testing Advisory Committee

to establish a method for identifyingchemicals that pose endocrine haz-ards.

Hormone mimics have beenblamed in some studies that citeddecreasing sperm counts worldwideand an increase in all types of cancerfor both men and women. Other stud-ies have discounted such concems.

The Environment Agency in theUnited Kingdom sponsored a 1996study that found the estrogenicallyactive agents in sewage treatmentworks effluent, previously thought tobe APs. were instead the naturalfemale estrogen, 17p-estradiol. andestrone, its natural metabolite. Thereport stated, "The earlier observa-tions of estrogenic activity in domes-tic effluents and some rivers can beattributed to these hormones."

Although APEs have been shownin laboratory studies to mimic theeffects of estrogen in vitro and invivo, the APE Panel counters that itsstudies show a low potential for APEto produce estrogenic effects atreponed environmental concentra-tions. The level of these concentra-tions is subject to debate.

"Only in the last three years hasthe EDC issue been raised. It's such anew issue, no one even knows how todetect them, much less the existenceor magnitude of such an effect," saidChris VandenHeuvel. director of pub-lic affairs at Huntsman Corp., a man-

account for 55% of the APE market,institutional cleaners are second at30%, and household cleaning and per-sonal-care products such as shampoosand cosmetics make up the balance.Industrial uses are for emulsion poly-merization and polymer stabilizationin plastics and elastomers; textile pro-cessing; agricultural chemicals; pulpand paper processing; metal and min-erai processing; latex paints; wettingagents and emulsifiers; foamingagents; inks; adhesives; and pharma-ceuticals. Institutional uses are mostlycommercial laundry detergents, janito-rial cleaning products, and vehiclecleaners.

ufacturer of APEs based in Salt LakeCity, Utah.

Some experts claim that exposureto hormone mimics in the environ-ment is much lower than humanexposure to phytoestrogens in thediet from vegetables and fruit. Yet adiet high in vegetables and fruit usu-ally is considered to be more health-ful than a diet that is not.

"Claims of estrogenic effectsremain largely unproven," saidRichard Fam, director of the BritishAssociation for Chemical Specialties."The effects on fish at a sewage out-fall have not proved to be directlytransferable to humans."

In March 1997, the Office ofResearch and Development releasedan EPA Special Report on Environ-mental Endocrine Disruption. Thereport stated, "a causal relationshipbetween exposure to a specific envi-ronmental agent and an adversehealth effect in humans operating viaendocrine disruption has not beenestablished."

Regardless, the EPA is required bylegislation to implement an EDCscreening and testing program andreport the results to Congress, whichgave EPA an extra $30 million tocarry cut the mandate.

[continued on page 1278)

INFORM. VOl. 8. no. 12 (December 1997)

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[continued from page 1276)

U.S. regulatory outlook on APEsThere are several APE~related activi-ties at various EPA offices.

Some are in cooperation with themakers of APEs. some are net. Somedeal more with the science of APEsin the environment, and some dealmore with the political environmentAPEs have been thrust into.

There are currently no federal reg-ulations in the United States regard-ing APEs, but there are some localrestrictions on APEs in the NorthCarolina cities of High Point andBurlington.

"That's a brush fire we have beenfighting to keep from spreading," saidCarter Naylor, a research chemistwith Huntsman and member of theAPE Panel's technical task group.

The industry is more concerned,however, that the EPA and othersmay jump the gun under pressurefrom activists and citizens groups.

"We want to avoid a governmentdirective in the absence of data,"Naylor said.

On the national level, the EPAOffice of Water, which has workedwith APE Panel since its inception, isexpected to release draft water quali-ty recommendations on NP beforethe end of 1997.

Prior to that, Donald Rodier of theEPA's Office of Pollution Preventionand Toxics authored a risk manage-ment document on NP, finding nosignificant environmental risk fromits present use.

Other offices within the EPA,however, may be more aggressive inpursuing APEs. In June, the EPAoffice of pollution prevention issueda news release claiming it had signedan agreement with Ecolab of St. Paul,Minnesota, for the company toremove APE and phosphates from itsTurboRev line of industrial and insti-tutional cleaning products. The EPAlater retracted that news release, asTurboRev had not contained eitheringredient.

"All we desire is that the EPAstick to quantitative risk assessment,"Naylor said. "With appropriate riskassessment, the risk will be shown tobe small. As we gather even more

data, the risk assessment gets betterand more defined."

government data needs requiring addi-tional studies: multigeneration tests inaquatic organisms, especially fish,aquatic invertebrates, and amphibians;acute toxicity in birds: reproductiveeffects in birds; monitoring data forbiota to determine if the APEs mea-sured in the environment can bedetected in wildlife organisms; andbioaccumulation and bioavailability insediments and plants.

The APE Panel submitted 255studies to the ITC. which is still in theprocess of gathering and reviewingdata on alkylphenols and ethoxylates.Once the ITC has reviewed all of therequested data, it will publish its offi-cial response in a report to the EPAadministrator. Ultimately, the ITC cankeep a chemical substance on the pri-ority testing list for more screening,testing, or information reporting;remove the chemical from the list; orrefer the chemical to a governmentalorganization 10 assess hazards or toconduct testing that would be difficultto implement under TSCA.

The ITC is not a regulatory body,but a vehicle to obtain the datarequested by federal government orga-nizations. Perhaps it was this less-threatening aspect of the ITC thatallowed more cooperation between thetwo groups.

"Very early on, the APE Panelformed a partnership with the ITCsubcommittee looking at APE for sev-eral reasons:' said Barbara Losey,chairperson for the Panel's ITC taskgroup and a regulatory and publicaffairs specialist for surfactants forRbcne-Poulenc Surfactants in Cran-bury, New Jersey. "We wanted tofacilitate l'I'C's retrieval of informa-tion, to keep them informed on thestatus and results of research spon-sored by the panel and other parties,and give them access to scientists andresearch chemists who are experts inthese materials."

Such an effort to bare all before theregulating authorities might seemrisky to some, but many feel it is nec-essary to get a fair hearing.

"It is good that the industry is nowdoing further homework on these veryuseful materials, because I would hateto see a major regulatory body make apolitical decision on the future of

Gathering dataOne effort of the U.S. government thatis not regulatory but deals more withdata gathering is the Toxic SubstancesControl Act (TSCA) Interagency Test-ing Committee (I'I'C). Created in 1976by TSCA, the ITC is a "virtual organi-zation" that, for every chemicalreviewed, forms a subcommittee outof the 16 different government organi-zations represented on the ITC. TheITC is an independent advisory com-mittee to the administrator of the EPA.ITC members nominate industrialchemical substances and mixtures tothe ITC when their organizations needdata that can be obtained through theITC: production volume, use, expo-sure, monitoring, environmental fate,ecological effects, and health effectsdata. For every chemical recommend-ed by the ITC to be placed on (he "pri-ority testing list," the EPA automati-cally publishes two rules that promptproducers, importers, processors, andusers of the recommended chemicalsto provide such data to the ITC.

The rTC began in 1982 with a rec-ommendation of testing for ccrylphe-nol (OP) in its 11th report to the EPAadministrator. Although the ITC laterremoved OP from the priority testing,the EPA reviewed the OP data anddecided to evaluate the toxicity of itsrelative, NP.

EPA published a Chemical HazardInformation Profile (CHIP) on NP in1986. With the CHIP being the firststep in assessing the safety of a chem-ical, the CMA took note, and the APEPanel organized a year later.

ln November 1995, the ITC recom-mended 28 alkylphenols and ethoxy-lates be added to the priority testing listin its report submitted to the EPAadministrator. The document spelledout the government organizations' dataneeds, including chemical composition,environmental fate, and health and eco-logical effects, including toxicokineticsand endocrine disruption.

In its current review of studies. theITC has identified five specific U.S.

INFORM. Vol. 8. no. 12 (December 1997)

1279

APEs simply in response to environ-mental activism," said Kent Fuller,executive director of the AustralianChemical Specialties ManufacturersAssociation, based in Melbourne,Australia. "Regulatory decisions mustbe made on sound environmental sci-ence. The pressures are a valid worryfor the chemical industry, because weknow regulatory authorities world-wide tend to feed off each other whenit comes to restricting the use of achemical. Regulatory decisions, eventhe most dubious, are almost neverreversed, at least in our part of theworld. Too often they are based onperceived hazard rather than actualrisk. One wonders how many usefulchemical materials have already beensacrificed through such processes."

Waving the white nagAlthough the APE Panel has chosen tolead the charge in defending APEs,other organizations have kept a lowerprofile, especial.ly when APEs are justone raw material ingredient choiceamong many.

"For some related organizations,such as The Soap and Detergent Asso-ciation, defense of any specific chemi-cal has to be kept at a generic level,"said Carter Naylor, a research chemistwith Huntsman and member of theAPE Panel's technical task group."They cannot be advocates for anyspecific ingredients, but rather standup for the cleaning products them-selves."

Some of the larger soap and deter-gent manufacturers do not use APEs,apparently based on the belief thatAPEs do not degrade, Naylor said.They chose other surtactams as substi-tutes rather than risk controversyamong consumers.

Alcohol ethoxylate (AE) surfac-tants are the most common substitu-tion for APEs. Members of the samepolyoxyethylenated alcohol family ofnon ionic surfactants, AEs havehydrophobes that are either linear orbranched alkyl chains and APEs havehydrophobes based on a phenolattached to the alkyl chain. AEsalready are used extensively in con-sumer detergent and personal-careproducts.

Industrial-use cases are more com-plex, Naylor said. APE-based prod-ucts that are emulsions or dispersions,such as paints, adhesives and pesti-cides, would need to be "reinvented"at an enormous cost. The cost efficien-cy of cleaning products may get worseas the manufacturer needs a greatervolume of a higher cost surfactant toperform similarly, Naylor said. Theend result is that companies maybecome less competitive.

"Regulators do not care about that,"Naylor said, "and this has worried a 101of users that depend on lower cost rawmaterials to compete with the bigsoapers. While a few companies mayhave switched to higher cost materials,most continue to support the use ofAPEs based on their understanding ofthe science and cost-performance bene-fits. Also, we do not anticipate the U.S.or Canadian administrations taking anyregulatory action, certainly over thenext few years," Naylor said (see "U.S.regulatory outlook on APEs").

board. A strategic plan was adopted bythe governing board in 1995 that placedhigh priority on creating a journal. Thecontinued support of the Surfactantsand Detergents Division membershiphas proven crucial to the formation ofJSD.

The mission of the JSD is:• to provide an effective and popular

forum for the publication of peer-reviewed articles on the science andapplication of surfactants and deter-gents,

• to provide review articles of inter-est that give readers an opportunity toincrease their general knowledge andunderstanding of the industry,

• to provide a summary of pertinentnews impacting the surfactants anddetergents industry.

IntroductionThe cover of JSD will include a truncat-ed table of contents to assist the readerto delve into the journal.

The first and largest section of JSDwill consist of peer-reviewed technicalanicles of the type that previously havebeen published semiannually in the Jan-uary and July issues of the Journal ofthe American Oil Chemists' Society(JAOCS). The quarterly JSD is expect-ed to at least double the number of sucharticles published each year. In additionto the technical articles already men-tioned, JSD will offer review articlesand news.

The journal's review articles willprovide a thorough look at topics ofinternational interest. from new bleach-ing systems to surfacrants in the envi-ronment.

A news section will include articlesof the type previously published inINFORM's Surfacrunts and DetergentsNews section. The news section of thejournal also will feature an "SDAUpdate" section with news about TheSoap and Detergent Association's meet-ings, and activities.

One of the key features transferredfrom INFORM will be coverage ofmeetings of interest to those involved insurfactants and detergents. Such futuremeetings related 10 surfactants anddetergents wit! receive a full report inJSD and a summary report in INFORM.

The first issue will thus include a fullreport on Soaps, Detergents, and Oleo-

New journal to debutin JanuaryThe Journal of Surfactauts and Deter-gents (JSD) will begin publication inJanuary 1998. This quarterly AOCSPress publication will provide a com-prehensive view of the field of surfac-tants and detergents through peer-reviewed technical articles. in-depthreview articles. and an industry newssection.

JSD will cover the basic and appliedscience of oleochemical and petro-chemical surfactants: the developmentand performance of surfactants, fromhousehold detergents to industrial uses;the development and manufacture ofother detergent ingredients and theirformulation into finished products; andperformance test method development,analysis, safety, and the environmentalfate of surfactants and other ingredients.

JSD will be offered to AOCS mem-bers for an additional fee, as are JAOCSand lipids.

An AOCS journal dedicated to sur-factants, soaps, and detergents fulfills along-held goal of the AOCS Surfucrantsand Detergents Division governing

INFORM. Vol. 8. no. 12 (December 1997)

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S& D NEWS

chemicals: An AOCS International Con-ference and Exhibit, held Oct. 7-10,1997, at Marriott's Harbor Beach Resortin Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Januaryissue also will present information onthe upcoming World Conference andExhibition on Palm and Coconut Oilsfor the 21 st Century: Sources, Process-ing, Applications, and Competition, onFeb. 15-19, 1998, in Bali, Indonesia, aswell as a preview of the surfactant anddetergent activities to be held during theAOeS Annual Meeting & Expo inChicago, Illinois, May 10-13.

Who is involved?Much like other AOeS journals, JSDwill depend upon volunteer members asits source of quality. Volunteers will beserving in the positions of editor-in-chief, technical editor, review editor,and news editor.

The editor-in-chief is Michael Cox.director of surfactants research anddevelopment at Condea Vista Co. in

Austin, Texas. Cox is AOCS treasurerand a member of the Surfactants andDetergents Division board of directors.Cox has been a key figure in gettingJSD off the ground from the day theSurfactants and Detergents Boardappointed him to the task as chairper-son of its publications committee. Coxfeels the new journal is necessary tomeet the demand for a well-roundedpublication focused exclusively on sur-factants and detergents.

"It is our expectation that the journalwill grow in size, scope, and popularity,and will therefore require six issues peryear by the year 2000," Cox said.

An editorial advisory board ofindustry and academic professionalshas been assembled to advise the editor-in-chief on the future development ofthe journal, and to ensure the journalcontinues to address the interests of itsglobal readership. Board members are:Yusof Basiron, Palm Oil Research Insti-tute of Malaysia; Jose Bema, Perresa:

Jerome Collins,Procter & Gam-ble Co.; DavidEdge, LeverPond's Co.; StigFriberg, Clark-ston University;Leopold Laitem,Colgate-Palm-olive Co.; E.Charles Leonard,The Hume Co.:Kenkichi Oba,Lion Co.; GeraldPflug, The Soapand DetergentAssociation; Mil-ton Rosen,Brooklyn Collegeof the City Uni-versity of NewYork; JohnScamehorn,Oklahoma Uni-versity; DavidSharer, ShellChemicalsEurope; LuisSpitz, L. Spitz,Inc; Hans Ver-beek, AISE.

The techni-cal editor forJSD is Vaughn

For Information clrcte .101

Mark Nace, a research associate at DowChemical Co., Freeport, Texas. Nacereceived the 1997 Samuel RosenMemorial Award, served as an associateeditor for JADCS, and edited NonionicSurfoctants, Polyoxyalkylene BlockCopolymers.

lSD associate editors are BarbaraBory, Lever Brothers Co.; JohnEfroymson, Sterling Laboratories; Rus-sel Elms, Dow Corning Co.: FloydFriedli, Witco Corp; Terri Germain,Stepan Co.; Charles Hammond, CondeaVista Co.; John Klier, Dow ChemicalCo.; Kirk Raney, Shell Chemical Co.;Dewey Smith, Condea Vista Co.;Phillip Vinson, Procter & Gamble Co.:and David Wallick, Dow Chemical Co.Manuscript submission instructions forauthors of articles will be printed in thefirst issue of lSD, and are also availableupon request to Brian Moore, AssistantTechnical Editor, lSD, P.O. Box 3489,Champaign, IL 61826 (phone: 217-359-2344; fax: 217-351-8091; e-mail:bmoore@aocs.org).

The review editor for lSD is ArneCahn, president of Arne Cahn Consun-ing Services Inc., in Pearl River, NewYork. Cahn is the past president ofAOCS and a past chairperson of theSurfactants and Detergents Division.Cahn continues to be a session chair-person and speaker at national meetingsand short courses, and has edited sever-al AOCS Press books.

The news editor for lSD is LisaQuencer, a development leader at DowChemical Co. in Midland, Michigan.Quencer is a member-at-large on theAOCS Surtacrents and Detergents Divi-sion board of directors and has pub-lished and presented technical papers inAOCS meetings and publications.

The lSD news section will also con-tain advertising. 1be AOCS staff to con-tact for advertising information are:Scott Narug, advertising manager, andLisa Spencer, advertising representative.

AOCS Press staff involved in lSDwill include Mary Lane, AOCS Pressdirector; Melissa Madsen Blankenship,production manager; Sandra Burr, cir-culation manager; Renee BucknerLoesche, graphic designer; BrianMoore, assistant technical editor; TomKrawczyk, assistant news editor; EllenClark and Marguerite Torrey, staffcopyeditors. •

INFORM, VOl. 8, no. 12 (December 1997)