Talk:Lysol/Archives/2013

Historical importance
Lysol has historical value. Check out its ads from from the mid-20th century--there are classic advertisements advertising it as a douche, using euphemisms and innuendo. It is advertised as a solution for feminine odors/uncleanliness (via innuendo)--with drawings indicating that this is what a wife should do to fix it if her husband isn't giving her enough "attention." You can find the ads by searching the internet and given its obvious value as commentary (and being used repeatedly in that manner), its clear that they qualify under fair use.

FYI, Lysol also produces these other products: LYSOL® Food Surface Sanitizer LYSOL® Brand Spray Air Sanitizer LYSOL® Disinfectant Sprays LYSOL® Sanitizing Wipes LYSOL® Toilet Bowl Cleaners LYSOL® Bathroom Cleaners LYSOL® All Purpose Cleaners LYSOL® NEUTRA AIR® Products

-Nathan J. Yoder 02:00, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

I found the ingredients for the Lysol All Purpose Cleaner (which I think is the 'classic lysol'): -Nathan J. Yoder 05:24, 22 March 2007 (UTC)
 * Active ingredients: n-Alkyl (50% C14, 40% C12, 10% C16) dimethyl benzyl ammonium chlorides 1.1856%
 * Inert ingredients: 98.8144%

No! The original or classic Lysol formulation was a creosol phenolic-soap combination. The article states: "In 1911, poisoning by drinking lysol was the most common means of suicide in Australia. [4] This was performed because 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).[5]"

Which is nonsense as benzalkonium chloride - a quaternary ammonium compound- wasn't widely used in any form until the 1950s! Quats were first used in Lysol products circa 1980. Phenol was far, far more toxic. If anything the phenolic was removed because of concerns over toxicity.

The phenolic form is still available, it is useful as it has broad-spectrum activity, and works reasonably well even in the presence of soiling and dirt.

In the early part of the 1900s, carbolic acid -phenol- was commonly used in suicides as it was readily available. Lysol, as a phenolic, served as a handy alternative. Hans Zinnser, the great bacteriologist and writer who was at Columbia University, recounts a telling story in his autobiography, As I Remember Him. As an intern in NYC, he rode in ambulance wagons in the early 1900s. One time, he arrived at a bar to find a man lying on the floor. The man had come in, ordered a large shot of whiskey and declaimed that he was done with it all. He downed the contents of a small bottle - of carbolic acid- and then drank the shot. Ironically, the treatment of the day for carbolic acid poisoning was to neutralize it with ethyl alcohol! Zinnser asked the perfectly healthy "suicide" why he dropped to the floor. He explained that he thought it was something he ought to do!

Zinnser's casual retelling of the tale shows that he expected readers even in the late 1930s to know carbolic acid poisoning was once commonplace. Carbolic- phenol- was the poison in Lysol.

Also the statement in the discussion that Lysol is principally effective against viruses, is wrong. It is indeed viricidal, but mainly effective against vegetative and even some spore forms of bacteria.

Overall, some parts of the article and even the discussion are wildly inaccurate. For instance, the more recent, Quat-based Lysol cleaner is a very different product than the original soap and creosol-Phenolic. Later formulations included improved and less-toxic disinfection agents, but still phenolic in nature. As a microbiologist since the 1960s, I watched the changing formulation of Lysol because if affected our use of it in the lab. My references are the changing lists of ingredients in the label! Brianm 14 (talk) 03:46, 20 October 2013 (UTC)

The footnote to this old press release says Lysol was introduced in 1889 to combat cholera --SV Resolution(Talk) 06:50, 23 April 2008 (UTC) (2004 press release) About LYSOL(R) Brand:

For more than 100 years, the LYSOL(R) Brand has led the field in scientific research in creating products which help to create an environment where families can thrive. Since the introduction of the first LYSOL(R) Brand disinfectant in 1889 to help prevent the spread of cholera in Europe, the Brand's research has launched numerous innovative and user-friendly cleaning and disinfectant products for home use. LYSOL(R) Brand products are manufactured and marketed by Reckitt Benckiser, the world's leading household cleaning products company. Its North American headquarters are located in Parsippany, NJ.

"Lysol Classic" vs "New Lysol"
Would "Classic" Lysol be the original formulation? That one contained cresol and was a dark brown or reddish brown color. Later formulations (still available in the US as industrial/hospital "original scent" concentrates) contained chlorphenols. I think the Benzalkonium Chlorides (aka alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chlorides) are the most recent (and least toxic) active ingredient. And then there are Diethylene glycol monobutyl ether formulations  Was that before banzalkonium chlorides, or do they still make this formulation?

When did Lysol introduce the various formulations? The Lysol I remember from the 1970's was a dark brown liquid in a glass bottle. It smelled awful. Was this a cresol or chlorphenol formulation? --SV Resolution(Talk) 06:39, 23 April 2008 (UTC)

The old school "Lysol Disinfectant" is still sold today, although usually only in institutional settings and "mom & pop" stores that carry old-time legacy brands.

The original Lysol Disinfectant was a chlorphenol formulation, somewhat similar to the chloroxylenol formulation currently sold by Reckitt Benckiser in the UK, India, and Middle East under the brand name Dettol. Chlorphenol, chloroxylenol and cresol are all forms of phenols.

Interesting to note, while the original Lysol formula is no longer marketed for "personal hygiene", Reckitt Benckiser prints "suggested uses" on bottles of Dettol that include washing hair, cleaning teeth and controlling "intimate" odors. --Nsaum75 (talk)