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Latยญer, the comยญpaยญnyโs air freshยญenยญing prodยญuct Febreeze was tarยญgetยญed. Claims cirยญcuยญlatยญed online that Febreeze conยญtained โtoxยญicโ zinc chloยญride. It could kill a pet that simยญply walked onto a carยญpet that had been recentยญly sprayed by the air freshยญenยญer. Again, the rumour was proven by sciยญenยญtists to be utter nonยญsense. By then, howยญevยญer, the Interยญnet was availยญable to folks lookยญing to spread baseยญless claims like these, and spread it they did. Whether they did it as a kind of bad joke or because they had misยญguidยญed conยญcerns about the prodยญuct is beside the point. P&G had to spend time and monยญey comยญbatยญing the misยญinยญforยญmaยญtion through emails to cusยญtomers, newsยญpaยญper and blog artiยญcles, adverยญtiseยญments and othยญer media outยญlets just to set the record straight.
More recentยญly, the Swifยญfer Jetโs moist pads have earned the attenยญtion of fear-monยญgerยญing rumour spreadยญers. Peoยญple have been pickยญing on P&G prodยญucts for decades, it seems, and each time the rumours are proven false under the scrutiยญny of solยญid sciยญence. This stoยญry about Swifยญfer Jet pads has cirยญcuยญlatยญed since 2004, rearยญing its head online from time to time, then fadยญing into the ether as some othยญer rumour gains tracยญtion and goes viral.
Letโs set the record straight once again: Swifยญfer Jet moisยญture pads are not toxยญic to chilยญdren and pets in any way whatsoever.
The ingreยญdiยญent in them that seems to set the Interยญnet ablaze is a chemยญiยญcal called โpropyยญlene glyยญcol nโpropyl ether.โ A mouthยญful to proยญnounce, for sure, like so many names of chemicals.
Whomevยญer startยญed the rumour may have conยญfused this chemยญiยญcal with anothยญer one called โethยญylยญene glyยญcol,โ which is comยญmonยญly found in some anti-freeze. The latยญter chemยญiยญcal is indeed poiยญsoยญnous to pets, and occaยญsionยญalยญly pets have died after lickยญing up anti-freeze acciยญdenยญtalยญly spilled by car ownยญers or mechanics.
But even if propyยญlene glyยญcol nโpropyl ether were toxยญic โ and it is not โ Swifยญfer Jet moisยญture pads conยญtain only four perยญcent of it; their dampยญness comes from water. In othยญer words, the chemยญiยญcal is subยญstanยญtialยญly dilutยญed. Even the Amerยญiยญcan Sociยญety For The Preยญvenยญtion of Cruยญelยญty to Aniยญmals (ASPCA) came out in defense of P&G in 2018, sayยญing that the rumours on social media about Swifยญfer pads harmยญing pets were, in a word, nonsense.
While P&G has spent years counยญterยญmandยญing these false narยญraยญtives, a largยญer quesยญtion needs to be asked.
Why do some folks take a litยญtle knowlยญedge and turn it into someยญthing calamiยญtous? The two chemยญiยญcal names may sound a litยญtle alike, but they are entireยญly difยญferยญent in strucยญture and toxยญiยญcยญiยญty. Just because both chemยญiยญcal names conยญtain the word, โglyยญcolโ doesยญnโt mean they share toxยญiยญcยญiยญty. Nor does it mean they can be used interยญchangeยญably. But someยญwhere, someยญhow, someยญone saw or read those terms and decidยญed Swifยญfer pads must conยญtain poiยญsoยญnous aspects like some anti-freeze does. And boy, has this rumour had tracยญtion! This (and othยญer) silยญly online mesยญsages are best fought with good, credยญiยญble sciยญence and hard facts.
Itโs easy to overยญreยญact to a post sent by a friend sugยญgestยญing you throw out your Swifยญfer for your childโs safeยญty โ who wouldยญnโt want to err on the side of cauยญtion? But because facts matยญter, parยญticยญuยญlarยญly when it involves harmยญing a comยญpaยญnyโs othยญerยญwise solยญid repยญuยญtaยญtion, you should โlook before you leap.โ
Do some online research, and reasยญsure yourยญself that the prodยญuct โ any prodยญuct, realยญly โ is not going to harm your famยญiยญly or pets. Perยญhaps most imporยญtantยญly, donโt pass on the untrue post until youโve looked into this yourself.
Itโs easy to become frusยญtratยญed by misยญinยญforยญmaยญtion, and silยญly stoยญries found online. In realยญiยญty, howยญevยญer, false narยญraยญtives have cirยญcuยญlatยญed almost since the invenยญtion of the printยญing press!
For examยญple, the term โfake newsโ is assumed to be a catchยญphrase coined by 21st-cenยญtuยญry politiยญcians. In fact, it was first used in the 1890s regardยญing senยญsaยญtionยญal reports runยญning in newsยญpaยญpers. A litยญtle digยญging into verยญiยญfiยญable sources goes a long way toward learnยญing the truth behind outยญlandish claims.
As for comยญpaยญnies and corยญpoยญraยญtions โ theyโve been the tarยญget of rumours and smear camยญpaigns almost since the Indusยญtriยญal Revยญoยญluยญtion. Forยญtuยญnateยญly, these inciยญdents donโt hapยญpen too often, and comยญpaยญnies get past them by keepยญing cool heads and conยญtinยญuยญing to put truthยญful facts out in the pubยญlic realm.
What is imporยญtant is that peoยญple think for themยญselves and donโt overยญreยญact to outยญlandish stoยญries they read online or in print or hear at the local groยญcery store, for that matยญter. Most of the time, these stoยญries are litยญtle more than urban legยญends or even bald-faced lies.
P&G has been the focus of at least three false stoยญries โ the one about its logo, the one about Febreeze, and the Swifยญfer Jet cleanยญing pads. Itโs hard not to feel a litยญtle bad for a comยญpaยญny that simยญply makes cleanยญing prodยญucts, among many othยญer conยญsumer goods. But offiยญcials there comยญbat rumours with good sciยญence and objecยญtive facts, and those are the tacยญtics that win this game every time.
