Dawn dishwashing liquid being used to clean animals affected by oil spill
Procter & Gamble donated thousands of bottles to help rescue efforts.
By AnonymousFri, Apr 30 2010 at 3:12 PM EST
39
As one the worst oil spills in American history continues to wreak havoc in the Gulf Coast, local birds and animals are finding themselves muddied in toxic sludge. Surprisingly, volunteers and rescue crews are using a common household ingredient to clean up the oil-coated wildlife -- Dawn dishwashing liquid.
The “tough on grease” dish detergent, commonly found at kitchen sinks across America, is used by animal rescue and rehabilitation teams to help gently remove oil from feathers, fur, and skin of oil-soaked critters. Procter & Gamble, which owns Dawn, has donated thousands of bottles to wildlife conservation programs over the past 30 years, cleansing more than 75,000 animals.
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A bird covered in oil tries to preen itself. While that may seem like a good thing, it actually leads to the bird ingesting the oil. As well, over-eager volunteers often attempt to quickly rub the oil off, which can also be more dangerous than helpful.
The trick to removing oil is to force it to be suspended in water, so it can be rinsed away. That's not an easy task, since oil and water are notoriously hard to mix, and in Dawn's case, it achieves this feat using a group of chemicals known as "surfactants," a term that's short for "surface active agent." Surfactants reduce the surface tension of water and can weaken the barrier that automatically forms between oil and water, allowing them to unnaturally mix. Dawn specifically uses anionic surfactants -- such as alkyl dimethyl amine oxide, found in Dawn Power Dissolver -- which means the detergent's molecules don't convert to ions in water. Combined with other ingredients like viscosity adjusters, buffering agents and processing aids, this allows the soap to wash away oil without leaving behind a residue.
According to a November 14, 2007 article on Slate, specially trained workers clean the birds in a solution of 1 percent dishwashing soap and warm water. The water temperature should match the bird’s internal temperature of about 103 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. "Up to 15 tubs can be used for a single animal; washing a bird the size of a pelican might take 300 gallons of water," wrote Morgan Smith.
As part of the Minnie Driver-headed Everyday Wildlife Champions campaign, consumers who use Dawn can help rescue/rehab efforts directly. Next time you’re at the store, look for a special-edition bottle of Dawn (it'll have a cute animal image on the bottle). Take it home and head to the donation activation page at the Dawn website. Once you plug in the special code on the bottle, $1 dollar will be donated to wildlife groups like the Marine Mammal Center and the International Bird Rescue Research Center. Dawn’s goal is to raise $500,000.
For those wishing to help scrub the animals in person, the National Audubon Society and the Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research, among others, are coordinating volunteer efforts.
Related on MNN: Gallery of animal photos from the oil spill.
Story written and researched by Benyamin Cohen, Matt Hickman, Russell McLendon, and Steve Pollak at MNN.
Read more about Procter & Gamble: Procter & Gamble and the environment
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Comments
megan n
01/25/2012 19:31 PM
i'm doing a science project on the oil spill and my science project is about which substance cleans better? just plain water or dawn all by its self.i'm really happy to be us
Ginnie Moore
12/30/2011 10:35 AM
I want to thank Dawn for being such a great product. We put some over the counter flea med. on our cat, he was very sick, I contacted our vet and she said to wash his back with Dawn. I asked, will any dish detergent work, she said "NO" I immediatly washed it with Dawn, and our cat Otis, was up and at it, running and playing immediatly!! Thank you so much!!
Kim
11/14/2011 00:01 AM
I read that DAWN detergent can kill cat fleas!! and the answer is.... absolutely YES! It really does. I had tried the chemical little tubes on the back of her neck, new collar and Hartz flea shampoo... NONE got rid of them all... but wonderful DAWN dish soap did... THANK YOU!!!! It really works!! My cat, Misty, is in peace now.... God bless whoever tried this method.
Guest
10/16/2011 20:55 PM
I was wondering, what ingredients make the oil come off of the animals??
Tarrant
10/17/2011 08:12 AM
Unfortunately, it is hard to say. They have a proprietary formula that they list as "degreasing agents" on their label. Here is a link to the ingredients for Dawn. (PDF) This sheet gives the chemical names of the ingredients. Amylase looks like one of the likely degreasers.
GDN
01/13/2011 20:09 PM
They are nuts. End of story.
Thurston P Howell Jefferson
07/28/2010 21:38 PM
Listen hear Lovie, if we want to save the coastal environment that is being devastated by the Oil mongers of BP (bad petroleum), we need only to do one thing; lets commission Proctor and Gamble to produce enough Dawn to disperse throughout the gulf spill area. If you extrapolate the Dawn dish-washing commercial, it is clear to see that the oil with simply dissolve into oblivion. Come on Dawn, save the environment, save the cheerleader, save the gulf!
use a chemical to cleanup a chemical thats brilliant
04/07/2011 19:55 PM
lots of organic vegan dish soaps , that arent tested on animals are available
DR> BONNERS soaps are organic .
JPC E. Inc
02/05/2011 13:26 PM
Hi My is Jarod Caldwell, from Euless Tx, (Near Dallas), I was wanting to know what the status is (or was), of the Commission of Proctor and Gamble to provide dawn for the gulf was going?
LUKEFRNDLR
01/09/2011 20:30 PM
its not bp (british petroleum's) fault for the leak. they only share a portion of the rig that leaked. the cost and responsibility should be split between the sharholders of the rig, which happens to be between three differnt companies.
No Non-Sense
07/11/2010 22:45 PM
There is No required law these days to test on animals. Some companies continue to do so, like P&G, IAMS, Lever, etc., because conforming with new technology will cost money. So why improve their methods when there is NO LAW against animal testing?... And by the way, if Dawn is so-o-o-o geniune, why are most consumers unaware that they have to submit a code to have DAWN donate a $1 to the Gulf?!
Frank from Germany
07/01/2010 23:34 PM
Hi there, I'm from Germany and I read on the IBRRC-website that they're using Dawn dishwater liquid from Procter & Gamble. Ok It's an american Product.I'm wondering about this fact!But is this the best choice? For all people who are interested in a real better way to solve the oil-problem try this here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_vn2_HrKkI and the link to Biosativa.... More
Robin
07/01/2010 11:23 AM
I would like to know where to find the special code on the specially marked dawn bottles and when you do find it where on this website do you enter the special code.
Fofonnie
06/21/2010 14:14 PM
I am appalled that DAWN is using this catastrophe to sell more product. This is America at its finest. Wonder how many more companies can profit from this disaster. If they really cared, they would donate it, not ask you to buy a bottle for the donation to take place.
Stephanie Robinson
09/10/2010 23:06 PM
DUH! Procter and gamble DONATED THOUSANDS of bottle of Dawn and I don't many other companies that are doing ANYTHING to aid in the relief.
Stephanie Robinson
09/10/2010 23:05 PM
DUH! Procter and gamble DONATED THOUSANDS of bottle of Dawn and I don't many other companies that are doing ANYTHING to aid in the relief.
Robert Brown
06/19/2010 03:07 AM
------They just dont get it. Still no mention at all,pro or con,of the flange/bolts on all the news. Some of the bloggers that do are top engineers within the industry.------
The oil leak can be TOTALLY controlled in half a week. Replacing the flange atop the BOP with a riser is absolutely possible,even in that blast. A pre-assembled guide---four 40 ft pcs drill pipe--- with a five ft diameter band connecting the top ends, and solidly mounted on the BOP flange below,will steer the.... More
ApostateBodhisattva
06/24/2010 11:28 AM
And the explanation for why this "easy" fix hasn't been applied? Is there some devious reason that BP doesn't want to fix it? Somehow I doubt that it's really that easy, but I would be fascinated to hear your theories.
silena
06/15/2010 16:06 PM
I agree with the other posted comment I have also been buying the dish liquid not knowing you had to type in a code. The amount that has been wasted not actually being used for the animal is amazing make it more clear. That sucks!!!
Meghan
06/11/2010 23:16 PM
Funny how P&G can donate all their soap to help animals when their own company TESTS on animals for cosmetic purposes...Don't be fooled by their publicity stunt! DON'T BUY FROM P&G!
Donna
07/11/2010 10:55 AM
So, because they are required by law to test on certain animals (which they do not kill) they should not be allowed to donate to help save animals from the devasting oil spill? Don't you think we need all the help we can get???? if we were all as closed minded as you, no one help.
Guest
06/17/2010 10:26 AM
Dawn only tests products that are required by law to be tested on animals. Talk to your rep/cong. I used Dawn to wash my dog when I found him along side the road one day. Couldn't even tell he was a dog!
@murmur55 twitter
06/10/2010 15:23 PM
Most birds die after the stress of capture and washing. This is a PR stunt by Dawn and BigOil. The oil companies know that they all spill oil at one time or another and may have large spills, so they anticipate managing the bad PR of seeing birds suffering with these "bird rescue" campaigns. The bird experts believe that it is better to euthanize the birds immediately, than to prolong their suffering. You can't fool Mother Nature with a PR campaign.
Guest
06/17/2010 10:29 AM
Are you crazy?!? If a bird is washed too soon after capturing it then yes it will probably die from the stress of everything but the act of washing it does not kill it! And they are saving a lot of birds!! You fool!
jp
06/10/2010 22:40 PM
What bird experts are you referring to? What documentation do you have to back your version of the wildlife saving efforts? I would be more inclined to believe this story if you had proper references and documentation.thanks
jp
06/10/2010 22:39 PM
What bird experts are you referring to? What documentation do you have to back your version of the wildlife saving efforts? I would be more inclined to believe this story if you had proper references and documentation.thanks
Mrs. Taylor
06/06/2010 10:06 AM
Since Dawn Helps Wildlife was started.... ive done nothing but continuously buy bottles and enter codes to help. Now with a new dilemma (the Bp spill) and dawn no longer accepting the special bottle codes, i feel as though i can no longer help. i have all these empty bottles just sitting around waiting to be able to enter the code. Dawn If You Cared Enough You Would Never Have Stopped At A $500,000 Donation. Why Not Go Higher? The Gulf Needs Dawn Now And Im Sure There Are Others Just Like Me.... More
Gail Guzik
06/07/2010 21:40 PM
I will be sure to purchase your special bottles of Dawn to help our oil covered birds and animals. Thank you for your help!
kim
06/20/2010 22:56 PM
My daughter organized a fund raiser with her friends and raised over $100.00. Instead of buying all those special bottles of dawn, isnt there anywhere I can just cut a check and send it to dawn?
steve
06/05/2010 19:12 PM
it may not be organic but it works, and does not harm them. Saved many animals, and they lay perishing with an effective product at hand you people want to argue. There may be better alternatives, but it is needed now. Dawn is available now.
Valerie
06/04/2010 16:48 PM
I think it's awesome your company is helping the critters in the Gulf Coast!
This is exactly what I call be a good corporate citizen...
Summer
06/04/2010 16:19 PM
I figured once you bought the bottle of dawn the dollar was automatically donated. I've been buying dawn dish soap for a while not knowing I had to type in a code for that dollar to be donated. They should have made that more clear in the commercial
Isabel Weiss
05/31/2010 20:41 PM
Hello people?! Even thought the ingredients in Dawn may not be all natural, it's getting the oil off of the poor little creatures! Just because something is all natural doesn't necessarily means that its better. I think that this donation is a great way to save the animals and Dawn is probably the most used dish soap in the country. Don't you want the animals to live, if people are going to complain that Dawn isn't all natural then so many animals are going to suffer and die a slow painful.... More
Jackie Huber
05/15/2010 17:04 PM
I'm worried that people wont' go through all the hoops you make them jump through to donate a dollar. The commericals make it seem like just by purchasing the bottle a dollar is donated. You should make it be just purchasing it creates the donation???
Maryann W.
05/03/2010 12:04 PM
I think it's great that P&G is donating product to be used to clean-up animals...and they should with all the support consumers have given them over the years.
Are there safer, proven alternatives to Dawn? I "Googled" Dawn's ingredients...ouch. There has got to be something natural that would work on cleaning-up these poor animals. And I know there are natural brands available on the market.
Scott Beck
05/14/2010 15:54 PM
Enter your comments here Absolutely!! There is a much better alternative to dish soaps. Greenpeace for example is using an all natural product that is more effective and much safer than dish soaps. Please help me get the word out so we can save more animals in a much safer way. Please help me get in touch with the appropriate contacts so I can get product information to the right people. Please call or e-mail Scott Beck 214-335-9432 or .... More
