November 5, 2012

Glutaraldehyde is primarily used within industrial sectors such as oil and gas, healthcare settings and also in poultry and swine facilities. The educational campaign, along with the Dow Microbial Control Academy based in Singapore, and the world-class Customer Application Centre in Melbourne, Australia, will provide customers in this region with technical expertise and regional support to apply glutaraldehyde most effectively in their industries.

Successfully introduced more than 60 years ago, glutaraldehyde is one of Dow Microbial Control's flagship molecules. This versatile micro biocide offers a host of advantages in applications ranging from high-level disinfection of medical equipment employed in healthcare settings to controlling microbes found in industrial operations such as oilfields and cooling towers as disinfectant for poultry and swine facilities.

"During the past few years, formulators have increasingly made and sold products that are supposedly glutaraldehyde-based, but actually contain other ingredients, including formaldehyde and glyoxal," said Mark Henning, global general manager for Dow Microbial Control. "The bottom line is that if your product does not contain genuine glutaraldehyde, you may very likely have a product with a blend of formaldehyde and/or glyoxal and possibly some small amount of glutaraldehyde.  Customers could be overpaying by 50-200%, based on current average market prices for these blended materials.  Moreover, there are often environmental, health and safety issues to consider with these blended products, and the personal protective equipment requirements may differ - especially for free formaldehyde, which is a known carcinogen."

Although glutaraldehyde is often confused with formaldehyde and shares the chemical family name "aldehyde," their chemical and toxicological properties differ significantly.  In addition, genuine glutaraldehyde neither contains nor degrades into formaldehyde.

"Glutaraldehyde is a terrific option for many applications, and we remain committed to developing innovative and sustainable solutions that help customers manage their microbial control challenges as effectively as possible," said Suzanne Carroll, Dow Microbial Control's global commercial director.  "We encourage customers to ask for genuine glutaraldehyde-based products from The Dow Chemical Company or BASF - the world's only two manufacturers of glutaraldehyde - so they know they are getting what they desire rather than blends incorporating little or no glutaraldehyde that may falsely claim to be glutaraldehyde-based.