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Erica Johnson investigates the widely advertised decompression therapy for back pain.  Comment |
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Wendy Mesley asks: Do Canadian pediatricians really endorse Lysol? Comment |
Wendy Mesley asks: Do Canadian pediatricians really endorse Lysol?
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Erica Johnson investigates the widely advertised decompression therapy for back pain.
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| Comments are now closed. We are currently rebuilding the Marketplace website. You can still send us your thoughts on this story via email: marketplace@cbc.ca |
We've all seen the ads telling us about the pesky germs, bacteria, and other nasty things in our home — all in the name of selling us a cleaner or disinfectant.
One of those products, Lysol, promotes itself using an impressive looking seal that appears to be an endorsement from Canadian pediatricians. If you look closely at the seal, it claims that Lysol is the "#1 brand used by Canadian pediatricians at home" and is "Based on a Canadian National Survey."
However, Marketplace spoke to the Canadian Pediatric Society, which represents Canada's pediatricians, and found that they don't ever endorse products, and actually discourage people from using commercial disinfectants to clean their home.
There's much more to this story: Watch as Wendy Mesley gives Lysol a deep cleaning for using Canadian pediatricians to pitch its disinfectant.
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Actually, most health professionals in Ontario are prohibited either by law or by their own professional regulatory body from endorsing products in the media. If you live in Ontario, be very suspicious of products supposedly endorsed by a health profession (e.g. Nutritionist, Dietician, Doctor, etc.)
I e mailed them shortly after the segment ran to tell them of my displeasure. Definitely shady....here was the generic response I received.....do they think we are all stupid?
Dear Valued Consumer,
Thank you for your email regarding the Lysol® Disinfectant Spray segment on CBC Marketplace.
Lysol has never claimed to be endorsed by the Canadian Pediatric Society. The statement that Lysol is the “#1 Brand Used by Canadian Pediatricians at Home" is based on the results of a Market Research study conducted by a third-party research firm among Canadian Pediatricians.
We appreciate the time that you have taken to email and for giving us the opportunity to respond to your comments.
Sincerely,
Kim Gordon
Looking on the bright side, at least Lysol is no longer being promoted as a feminine hygiene product and is hopefully not being used for vaginal douching and birth control purposes.
Still, it makes you wonder about other Reckitt Benckiser brands such as: Air Wick, Brasso, Calgonit - Finish, Cattlemen's, Cling Free, Clearasil, Dettol, Easy Off, Easy On, French's, Frank's RedHot, Glass Plus, Jet Dry - Finish, Lysol/Lizol, Lime-A-Way, Look, Mop & Glo, No. 7, Old English, Optrex, Prosolve, Resolve, Strepsils, Sani - Dettol, Silvo, Sprayfresh, Veet, Zero - Woolite, Zip.
Just use plain vinegar to disinfect around the house. It's cheap, it's chemical-free, safe for pets and children and doesn't come in a non-recycleable can! We are being scared into believing that we need perfectly sterile homes by using these heavy-duty chemical cleaners. It's not the case... by using these kind of products, our homes are actually more polluted with chemicals that in turn get into our bodies/tissues.
How can these companies get away with this? I thank you for exposing this - I will not touch Lysol again.
Thanks!