Jeeze, my dad use to clean car parts with gasoline or paint thinner and hose
the crud down the driveway to the storm sewer.
I thought I was being a good boy by using a water soluble cleaner.
Oh well.

-----Original Message-----
From: mcneely4@cox.net [mailto:mcneely4@cox.net]
Sent: Monday, May 31, 2010 11:07 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM; pdooley
Subject: Re: [VANAGON] cleaning seat upholstery

pdooley wrote:

> This product has been on the market for many years and I would hope some
> government agency would have figured out if it was too dangerous for
> consumer use by now.

Hmmmmmm....... .  formaldehyde was used as a preservative for meats intended
for human consumption for many years.  DDT was on the market for many years.
The toxicity of 2-butoxyethanol has only recently been known, and it is
being considered by government agencies to be restricted from consumer
products.  Just because a company promotes a product as non-toxic doesn't
make it so, and just because an agency has not banned a substance does not
make it safe.  Look at all the plasticizers that we now know are not safe --
marketed for many years, and unsuspecting consumers used them.

It may be that the appropriate government action for this material is to
place a warning about its proper use and disposal on the label.  Perhaps it
is safe for use, but it is toxic and it is an environmental hazard.  So are
many other consumer products.

David McNeely