Worries prompt 3M to pull plug on Scotchgard

Studies show the compound poses no health risk to humans, but it is not environmentally friendly.

©New York Times

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 17, 2000

CHICAGO -- 3M Co., the giant consumer products company, said Tuesday that it would stop making many of its well-known Scotchgard products after tests showed the chemical compounds used to make the products linger in the environment and in humans for years.

The company said that Scotchgard, a spray that protects clothing, fabrics, upholstery and carpets from stains and other damage, is safe and that the chemical compounds pose no health risk to humans. But the company also said the compounds do not easily decompose, and therefore are not environmentally friendly.

"These products have been safely used for 40 years and they continue to be safe," said William Coyne, head of research and development at 3M, which is based in St. Paul, Minn. "But the best decision we can make now is to stop adding to the environment. This is a corporate responsibility issue. This product does not decompose, it's inert -- it's persistent; it's like a rock." The company, whose products include Scotch tape and Post-it notes, said the Scotchgard line represents about $300-million a year in sales, or about 2 percent of the company's $16-billion in annual revenues. The company, which has 71,000 employees worldwide, said it did not expect to lay off any of the 1,500 workers with jobs tied to Scotchgard.

The company said that most Scotchgard products, primarily fabric and upholstery protectors, would be phased out by the end of the year. Some Scotchgard fabric and rug cleaners are unaffected.

The company, which is also known as Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Co., said that it discovered in 1998 that the chemical compound used to make many Scotchgard products, perfluorooctanyl chemistry, was pervasive; it persisted for years in the environment and could even be found in human blood, at very low levels.

The company said the presence of the chemical compound in human blood at low levels was not harmful, but Coyne said that "with extremely high doses you are going to see effects." He also said the production of the compounds had very little effect on the environment.

Officials of 3M said they ran exhaustive tests on animals and humans and found no adverse health effects. But the company said that because the compounds were persistent in the environment and in human blood, it alerted regulators and began working to come up with alternative compounds.

Earlier this year, however, the company said that it learned that an alternative would take years, and so it decided to phase out many of the Scotchgard products and focus on creating new lines.

Linda Greer, senior scientist at the non-profit environmental group Natural Resources Defense Council in Washington, told Reuters that she applauded 3M's action. Scotchgard "really is a household name," she said. "It takes guts to do that."

The decision to drop Scotchgard is expected to affect many other commercial products that use the chemical compound, including Teflon, which is made by DuPont. 3M officials declined to give a list of products made by other companies using the compound. But 3M said many other companies use the compounds found in Scotchgard as soil, oil and water repellent, and as coatings for oil and grease resistance on paper packaging.

The company said it is striving to be environmentally friendly. "This was a great product that was made to last, but that's also an environmental problem," said Mary Auvin, a 3M spokeswoman. "We don't want things around that last for a long time."

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