Safe insecticides?

Safe insecticides?

Congratulations on your maiden issue of the Sunday edition of
The Jakarta Post, which I found at once entertaining and
informative. On behalf of our company, S.C. Johnson & Son, I
would also like to thank you for publishing excerpts from a
recent interview by Ms. Lenah Susianty on our newest aerosol
insecticide Raid Non-Kerosene in the feature article entitled Are
There Really Any Safe Insecticides? For the article to be
published on your inaugural edition is, indeed, a privilege.

However, I believe a number of corrections are in order for
the benefit of your readers:

1. The statement of YLKI researcher Cacik Awananto that "...
it is non-kerosene because it is an aerosol, meaning it does not
need kerosene" is illogical and erroneous. In fact, most aerosol
insecticides in the market today use kerosene as a solvent. It is
precisely this pungent kerosene odor that many consumers complain
about, and which Raid Non-Kerosene has successfully addressed. To
verify this herself, all that Cacik A. needs to do is to compare
the smell of different aerosol insecticide brands with Raid Non-
Kerosene. It is regrettable that such a glaring error has been
committed by a supposedly knowledgeable authority from a
reputable consumer association. Implicitly, she suggests that all
aerosol insecticides do not contain kerosene -- a grossly and
potentially dangerous statement given the health hazards
associated with kerosene, as expounded on in the article.

2. Her statement that the chemical (Propoxur) does not
necessarily make Raid Non-Kerosene safer than other insecticides
is irrelevant and unfair. The article dealt mainly with the
health hazards associated with kerosene, which were acknowledged
in the opening anecdote about the afflicted lecturer at UI, and
documented in Dreisbach's Handbook of Poisoning. Therefore, in so
far as Raid being kerosene-free is concerned, it IS safer than
ordinary kerosene-based insecticides.

3. As regards the use of Propoxur, we would like to point out
that, as a responsible corporate citizen, S.C. Johnson & Son
conducts extensive internal and external testing of its formulae
and active ingredients to ensure that its insecticide products
are suitable and safe for household use. The company seeks
official approval from the Indonesian Department of Health and
the Pesticides Committee which subject our products to standard
efficacy and toxicity testing before granting the license to
manufacture and market. Raid Non-Kerosene was approved according
to this procedure.

4. Strictly speaking, no available insecticide is totally
safe, because by definition, insecticides contain active
ingredients to kill household insects. We do not try to promote
Raid Non-Kerosene as a safe insecticide. Rather, it is deadly on
insects, yet pleasant to use in homes because it does not leave
any pungent kerosene odor. What we should stress is the proper
use of insecticides. This is why we print on Raid Non-Kerosene's
package the precautions and directions for use to prevent misuse.

5. Finally, I thank The Jakarta Post for the unintended
privilege of "granting" me Indonesian citizenship, but, while I
maintain a deep sense of gratitude to my host country, my sense
of patriotism to my motherland requires me to clarify that I am a
Filipino expatriate, not Indonesian.

In the true spirit of responsible journalism, I trust that The
Jakarta Post will rectify the errors contained in the above
article, and exercise more care in the future by, e.g., verifying
statements before printing.

WILFREDO E. ARCILLA

Marketing Manager

S.C. Johnson & Son (Indonesia)

Jakarta