COMPARISON OF EFFECTS OF SOAPS AND SYNTHETIC DETERGENTS ON HANDS OF HOUSEWIVES

Abstract

THE EFFECT of household washing products on the skin is a subject of importance and concern not only to the housewife but to the physician and the manufacturer as well. In recent years there has been in this country a decided trend toward the synthetic detergent products for household use. The amount used has increased from less than 1 lb. (0.5 kg.) per person, in 1942, to almost 10 lb. (4.5 kg.) per person, in 1951.¹ Almost two-thirds of the package household washing products sold today are synthetic detergents. This great increase in the use of synthetic detergents since World War II has been due largely to the introduction of all-purpose synthetic detergents. The all-purpose synthetic products are analogous to the all-purpose soaps, in that they contain certain builders, mostly inorganic phosphates, in addition to the active synthetic detergent to make them clean better. Because of