Dow is committed to taking responsible action to reduce risk from its products and processes globally.  As part of our 2015 Sustainability goal on Product Safety, we have committed to share examples of new product applications that Dow chose not to pursue or new chemistries that the company chose not to progress through development, based on the results of product safety assessments indicating unacceptable risk at the time.

Dow will also share examples of product safety summaries for products we choose to continue selling with enhanced risk management procedures in place.

These and other examples are offered as a demonstration of Dow's continuing commitment to product stewardship throughout the value chain, throughout the world.

• Customized training to ensure safe handling:  Dow Biocides recently added a new product to its portfolio. This product, a chemical mixture of 5-chloro-2-methyl-2H-isothiazol-3-one (CMIT) and 2-methyl-2H-isothiazol-3-one (MIT), was focused on global markets, including China and other Asia-Pacific countries. This product is used in applications such as a preservative, for industrial process water treatment and as an agent to destroy or inhibit the growth of microorganisms in metalworking fluids. 
  
  The product is classified as a strong skin sensitizer, meaning that it is capable of producing an allergic response in skin after a sensitizing initial exposure.  Because of this trait, Dow Biocides decided that a rigorous product stewardship program and safe handling guidance in both English and key local languages was needed prior to launching the product. In addition to the normal technical product literature and safety data sheets, safe handling product literature was developed in the local language, as well as a training package to address safe handling of skin sensitizers.  This additional training information in the appropriate languages helps to educate the workforce handling the product in order to manage this risk properly.
  
  
• Glutaraldehyde Safety Training:  In 2004, Dow Biocides, together with the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Division of Education and Training, developed a safety training program specifically for health care workers to raise awareness about the proper safe handling and health information for one of Dow's key biocide products, glutaraldehyde. 
  
  Glutaraldehyde is widely used in industrial settings, including high level disinfection for the health care industry where it is used as a cold sterilant for heat-sensitive medical equipment.  Glutaraldehyde is a known skin sensitizer and customer worker health complaints in the health care industry have been reported. To provide a high standard of product stewardship support in the health care segment, health care workers who use glutaraldehyde-based products needed customized health and safety information directed at their uses.
  
  Dow manufactures and supplies glutaraldehyde to specialty formulators who in turn distribute the final formulation through a multi-tiered distribution network.  So while Dow has a large amount of health and safety information available on its use, the challenge was to ensure delivery of this information through a complex distribution channel not directly accessible to Dow.
  
  Dow worked with NIOSH to develop a new safety training program.  It consists of jointly developed health and safety guidance sheets, as well as a training program and DVD for use in hazard communication, and in-service training of health care professionals.  Presented in an easy-to-understand format, the information is designed to improve the ability of workers to apply their knowledge and skills to protect themselves and others.  The training resources are intended for use globally.  They have been translated into Japanese and Chinese to expand their use in the Pacific region.
  
  This work with NIOSH in the US led to the formation of direct partnerships with regulatory agencies around the world.  Additional Information on the glutaraldehyde safe handling is available at http://www.dow.com/biocides/glut/index.htm.
  
  
• Anticipating customer concerns:  Dow businesses take action to reduce or eliminate health or environmental impacts. While action is taken, of course, to respond to regulatory requirements, frequently Dow businesses will act prior to action being initiated by regulatory bodies.  This action is often taken to respond to customer concerns.  Here are a few examples:
  • A Dow business was developing a new product to be used as a truck bed liner.  When this new product and its intended application were submitted to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of the pre-manufacture notification process, the EPA indicated that it might require extensive toxicity and ecotoxicity testing, as well as use restrictions, in order to control this new product in its application.  As a result, the Dow business chose not to proceed with the development of this new product for this application.
    
    
  • Have you ever noticed the amount of plastic products used in the manufacture of your automobile?  Dow Automotive has established and enforces rigorous customer qualification criteria for the sale of plastic foam to be used in automotive impact protection applications, such as, crash protection for the head, knee, ankle and thorax impacts, as well as child safety seats.
    
    
  • Dow's Building Solutions business has committed to replace ozone-depleting foaming agents in its insulating foam products by 2010, in accordance with US Environmental Protection Agency rules.  For years, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), a type of blowing agent, were commonly used to improve the insulation performance of plastic foam products. However, when evidence first began to appear linking CFCs to ozone depletion in 1978, Dow began its own program to stop using these blowing agents and convert to an environmentally friendly product. Dow was the first manufacturer to do so.
    
    Today, all 25 Dow plants worldwide manufacture STYROFOAM Brand products with either HCFC blowing agents, which have an ozone depletion potential less than 10 percent of standard CFC blowing agents, or even HCFC-free blowing agents with zero depletion potential.
    
    
  • In the European Union, the classification of the solvent, toluene, was revised due to concerns about mutagenicity (29th ATP).   As a result, several products had to be reformulated to either reduce the toluene content or find an alternative solvent.  This reformulation was done to address concerns of downstream users who did not want a mutagen category 3 substance in the products used at their plants.
    
    Similarly, an unfavorable WGK (German Water Endangering Classification) led to the reformulation of a product for a downstream user who did not permit the use of WGK 3 substances in their facilities.
    
    
  • Dow Automotive is reformulating automotive products to remove phthalates based on environmental, health, safety and regulatory concerns.