Scotch Guard

Scotchgard is a 3M brand of products used to protect fabric, furniture, and carpets. Like other fluorochemicals, Scotchgard is mostly inert, so by applying it to fabric, the fabric can be protected from stains and soiling.The original formula for Scotchgard was discovered accidentally in 1952 by 3M chemists Patsy Sherman and Samuel Smith. Sales began in 1956, and in 1973 the two chemists received a patent for the formula.3M reformulated the product beginning in 2000 under pressure from the EPA. Specifically, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was replaced by perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS). Unlike PFOS, which can persist in the body for approximately 8 years, PFBS persists for only a few weeks. PFOS is widespread in the environment and in low levels of the general population in the U.S. Although perfluorochemical compounds such as PFOS are not yet categorized as a human carcinogen, these chemicals have caused birth defects and deaths in animal studies. PFOS breaks down into PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid). PFOA is also found in the environment and the body and meets EPA criteria for likely human carcinogens.
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