Use of Nonylphenol and Nonylphenol Ethoxylates in P&G Products

Nonylphenol and Nonylphenol Ethoxylates and P&G Products

Background

Nonylphenol (NP) is a starting material to produce some surfactants (cleaning agents) used in household and commercial products. The surfactant products produced from NP are called "nonylphenol ethoxylates" (NPE). The NPEs are produced by adding one or more ethoxy groups to the parent NP. NPEs have long been used by some in a wide variety of consumer products (e.g., personal care, laundry products and cleaners), commercial products (e.g., floor and surface cleaners), and in many industrial cleaning processes (e.g., textile scouring and preparation). Also NP and NPEs have been used directly in some products to assist keeping other slightly soluble or insoluble materials in solution.

In the early and the mid-1990s, scientists began to raise concerns regarding the environmental persistence of NP-related compounds (Ahel et al, 1994a, b; EU, 2003a; US EPA, 2003), as well as their toxicity. For the NPE surfactants, research showed that while the ethoxylate part breaks down quickly, the parent NP breaks down more slowly. As a consequence, nonylphenol has been found in sediments (Bennett and Metcalfe, 1998, 2000), and there has been concern that NP could accumulate to levels harming the environment. Separately, NP was found to be a very weak estrogen (a so-called "endocrine disrupter") in both laboratory animals and fish (Soto et al. 1991 and Jobling and Sumpter 1993; Chapin et al, 1999; Gimeno et al, 1997; Jobling et al, 1996; Nimrod and Benson, 1996; Odum et al, 1997). As a result of these issues, regulatory agencies in Europe, the US, Canada, and Japan have been closely reviewing the environmental safety of both NP and NPEs.

European authorities have recently revised their human and environmental risk assessments (EU, 2003a) for these compounds, following new data on the fate and effects of nonylphenol and nonylphenol ethoxylates (e.g., Chapin et al, 1999; Staples et al, 2001). While the authorities have concluded that modest levels of nonylphenol releases do not present a concern for the environment, actions have been taken to restrict their use. For example, as of January 2005, NP and NPE were classified as a "reproductive hazards" and their use in European cosmetics and other consumer and industrial products was prohibited at levels above 0.1% by weight through Directive 2003/53/EC (EU, 2003b).

Following detailed review, Environment Canada declared NP/NPE as CEPA Toxic in 2000 (Environment Canada, Health Canada 2000), which calls for substitution by environmentally acceptable substances. In the US, EPA is establishing new water quality criteria that would limit the volumes or amounts of NP discharged into the environment (US EPA, 2003), and encouraging reduced use through the Safer Detergents Stewardship Initiative (SDSI). In Japan, the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation is working with industry to further promote replacement for both NP and NPEs (Japan NITE, 2004).

Our View

P&G's longstanding policies are to ensure that our products are safe for both people and the environment when used as intended and to comply with government regulations in the locations where we do business. We carefully evaluate the safety of our products and their ingredients, using well-established risk assessment methods.

As a matter of practice, P&G prefers fully and rapidly biodegradable surfactants in our products, especially in high volume applications such as laundry, dishwashing and hard surface cleaning. During our safety clearance process that occurs prior to product marketing, we evaluate the degradation of all ingredients in the laboratory, in sewage treatment facilities, and in the environment. These biodegradation data are an important element in our environmental risk assessments.

In the 1970's, while evaluating NPE for potential use in company products, P&G scientists determined that NP and NPE biodegraded more slowly than many other materials. Considering this persistence in combination with their aquatic toxicity, the company decided not to use NP or NPEs in our laundry and cleaning products, since their use in high volume applications might create long-term concerns for the environment. Over the years we reviewed products coming to the company in acquisitions, initiating reformulation efforts where appropriate. We did continue to use small amounts of NP and NPEs in some cosmetics, perfumes, and "niche" cleaning products, where the volumes released to the environment (or that might accumulate there) would be well below levels that could cause harm.

Since the mid-1990s, P&G has worked to eliminate the intentional use of NP and NPEs in our other consumer products. For most products, there are available substitutes and removal has been accomplished for the majority of P&G's usage volume. The complete elimination of NP in certain complex perfume formulations is proving more difficult, and removal work continues. To further eliminate trace impurities in our consumer products we are also working with suppliers to eliminate indirect NP uses in the production of other ingredients in our supply chain (e.g., as a process or solubility aid), and they are making good progress.

References and Further Readings

	Ahel, M., W. Giger, M. Koch, 1994a. Behaviour of alkylphenol polyethoxylate surfactants in the aquatic environment - I. Occurrence and transformation in sewage treatment. Wat. Res. 28:1131-1142.
	Ahel M., W. Giger, C. Schaffner, 1994b. Behavior of alkylphenol polyethoxylate surfactants in the aquatic environment - II. Occurrence and transformation in rivers. Wat. Res. 28:1143-1152.
	Bennett, E.R. and C. D. Metcalfe, 1998. Distribution of alkylphenol compounds in Great Lakes sediments, United States and Canada. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 17:1230-1235.
	Bennett E.R., and C. D. Metcalfe, 2000. Distribution of degradation products of alkylphenol ethoxylates near sewage treatment plants in the Lower Great Lakes, North America. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 19:784-792.
	Chapin R.E., J. Dulaney, Y. Wang, L. Lanning, B. Davis, B. Collins, N. Mintz, G. Wolfe, 1999. The effects of 4-nonylphenol in rats: A multigeneration reproduction study. Toxicol. Sci. 52:80-91.
	Environment Canada and Health Canada. 2000. Canadian Environmental Protection Act, Priority Substances List Assessment Report: Nonylphenol and its Ethoxylates. 134p.
	EU, 2003a. European Union Risk Assessment Report. 4-Nonylphenol (branched) and Nonylphenol. CAS-No.: 84852-284-325-5 and 246-672-0 EINECS-No.: 284-325-5 and 246-672-0. Click the ESIS button in the left lower center. Enter the EINECS number "284-325-5" and hit return. The risk assessment links will be at the bottom of the page.
	EU, 2003b. DIRECTIVE 2003/53/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 18 June 2003 amending for the 26th time Council Directive 76/769/EEC relating to restrictions on the marketing and use of certain dangerous substances and preparations (nonylphenol, nonylphenol ethoxylate and cement). See bullet #6, link 24.
	Gimeno, S., H. Komen, P.W.M. Venderbosch, T. Bowmer, 1997. Disruption of sexual differentiation in genetic male common carp (Cyprinus carpio) exposed to an alkylphenol during different life stages: Environ Sci Technol 31:2884-2890.
	Japan NITE (National Institute of Technology and Evaluation), 2004. Report on Nonylphenol and Nonylphenol Ethoxylate.
	Jobling, S. and J. P. Sumpter. 1993. Detergent components in sewage effluent are weakly oestrogenic to fish: an in vitro study using rainbow trout (Oncorhnchus mykiss) hepatocytes. Aquatic Toxicology 27:361-372.
	Jobling S., D. Sheahan, J.A. Osborne, P. Matthiessen, J.P. Sumpter, 1996. Inhibition of testicular growth in rainbow trout (Onchorhynchus mykiss) exposed to estrogenic alkylphenolic chemicals. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 15:194-202.
	Nimrod A.C. and W. H. Benson, 1996. Environmental estrogenic effects of alkylphenol ethoxylates. Crit. Rev. Toxicol. 26:335-364.
	Odum J., P.A. Lefevre, S. Tittensor, D Paton, E.J. Routledge, N.A. Beresford, J.P. Sumpter, J. Ashby, 1997. The rodent uterotrophic bioassay: Critical protocol features, studies with nonylphenols, and comparison with a yeast estrogenicity assay. Reg. Toxicol. Pharmacol. 25:176-188.
	Soto, H. M. J. W. Justicia, and S. Sonnenschein. 1991. p-Nonylphenol: an estrogenic xenobiotic released from "modified" polystyrene. Environmental Health Perspectives 92:167-173.
	Staples C.A., C.G. Naylor, J.B. Williams, W.E. Gledhill, 2001. Ultimate biodegradation of alkylphenol ethoxylate surfactants and their biodegradation intermediates. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 20:2450-2455.
	US EPA, 2003. Ambient Aquatic Life Water Quality Criteria for Nonylphenol - Draft. Office of Water. EPA 822-R-03-029. Washington, DC.

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