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The label to the
left, is one of many imitation and counterfeit labels on
DIY installation kits being illegally supplied in the UK
under the name "Ultraseal". If someone has attempted to sell
you a bottle of Ultraseal tyre sealant with this label, or
you have been sold a bottle with this label, please contact
ourselves and your local Trading Standards office
immediately and direct them to this official Ultraseal UK
website where they will be able to see the genuine Ultraseal
UK logo and Ultraseal UK Corporate image of the last 9
years. The counterfeit tyre sealant supplied with this label
is not professionally packaged, without a box carton and is a
truck sealant from North America. Apart from causing many
problems when installed in a high speed tyre, it does not
conform to Health and Safety regulations in the UK. The
importer of this product has not registered with REACH
(Registration, Evaluation and
Authorisation of Chemicals) which is a legal requirement of
all importers and manufacturers of liquid chemical
preparations in EU states. That particular sealant contains 42%
of the very lethal Ethylene Glycol. It also contains high amounts of the monomer Hydroxypropyl Methacrylate which is one of the chemicals
REACH is concerned with, so because children could have
access to this product it will not get REACH certification.
Because this particular manufacturer adds the Ethylene
Glycol not only as an anti freeze, but as part of a chemical
reaction when mixed with the Hydroxypropyl Methacrylate as
part of it's sealing capabilities, it would not be possible
to replace the Ethylene Glycol with non toxic Propylene
Glycol because Propylene Glycol is one carbon atom
different, so therefore will not react with the Methacrylate.
Safety standards in North America are different than here in
the UK so this kind of chemistry with these chemicals are
allowed for consumer products going into the domestic market
(for now). Ultraseal UK's (based in Exeter) manufactured
product has always supplied an Ethylene Glycol and Propylene
Glycol free sealant which is 100% non toxic and 95% organic.
Our trademark department can be contacted
at 01395 512260 and 07866 739643. mail@ultraseal.biz |
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Ultraseal
UKs, UK manufactured puncture preventative has never
contained Ethylene Glycol, it took our organic chemist
years to find a non glycol/non toxic anti freeze which was
suitable for inclusion in a tyre sealant. Ethylene
Glycol is one of the most toxic substances used in tyre
sealants worldwide because
2 teaspoons of Ethylene Glycol can kill an adult within 2
days. Ethylene Glycol in a tyre sealant does not conform
to today's Health and Safety regulations in the UK.
REACH
(Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of
Chemicals)
make it a legal requirement that all importers and
manufacturers of liquid chemical preparations in EU
states have to register with them to declare all chemicals
and their quantities used in the preparation of products
going into the public domain so a decision can be made
as to whether that product is safe enough to be sold to
consumers such as the general public. Because children
could have access to tyre sealants that contains
Ethylene Glycol they will not get REACH certification.
We have always supplied an Ethylene Glycol and Propylene
Glycol free sealant which is 100% non toxic and 95%
organic. Ethylene Glycol poisoning can be divided into
three stages. Stage one includes central nervous system
(CNS) disturbances and gastrointestinal symptoms. Stage
two includes signs of cardiovascular, pulmonary, and
metabolic irregularities, and stage three includes renal
failure brought on by the precipitation of calcium
oxalate crystals in renal tubules and from the direct
toxic action of oxalic and glycolic acids upon the
kidneys. Safety standards in the world are not as
advanced as here in the UK and the majority of these
toxic sealants are coming in from North America. The
following statement has been taken from
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethyleneglycol
Toxicity
The major danger
from Ethylene Glycol is ingestion. Due to its sweet
taste, children and animals will sometimes consume large
quantities of it given access to antifreeze. Ethylene
Glycol may also be found as a contaminant in moonshine,
distilled using an improperly washed car radiator. In
many developed countries, a bittering agent called
denatonium benzoate (known in some locales by the trade
name Bitrex), is generally added to Ethylene Glycol
preparations as an adversant (to prevent accidental
ingestion.) This embitterment is not yet widespread in
the United States.
Ethylene Glycol
poisoning is a medical emergency and in all cases a
poison control centre should be contacted or medical
attention should be sought. It is highly toxic with an
estimated LD100 in humans of approximately 1.4 ml/kg.
However, as little as 30 milliliters (2 tablespoons) can
be lethal to adults.
Symptoms
Symptoms of
Ethylene Glycol poisoning usually follow a three-step
progression, although poisoned individuals will not
always develop each stage. Stage one consists of
neurological symptoms include victims appearing to be
intoxicated, exhibiting symptoms of dizziness,
headaches, slurred speech, and confusion. Over time, the
body metabolises Ethylene Glycol into other toxins,
first to glycolaldhyde, which is then oxdized to
glycolic acid, glyoxylic acid, and finally oxalic acid.
Stage 2 is a result of accumulation of these metabolites
and consists of tachycardia, hypertension,
hyperventilation, and metabolic acidosis. Stage 3 of
Ethylene Glycol poisoning is the result of kidney
injury, leading to acute kidney failure. Oxalic acid
reacts with calcium and forms calcium oxalate crystals
in the kidney. An estimated 80% of kidney stones are
calcium oxalate.
End
of quote. Tyre
sealant manufacturers make statements that Ethylene
Glycol is the best anti freeze additive in a tyre
sealant. Ethylene Glycol is an excellent antifreeze and
so is Propylene Glycol but Propylene Glycol which is non
toxic causes major problems in a tyre sealant. It goes
thick and gummy at the smallest drop in temperature
which is unacceptable in a tyre sealant. It is less
effective at sealing punctures when mixed in with tyre
sealant polymers. For these and other reasons
manufacturers who choose the highly toxic Ethylene
Glycol over the non toxic Propylene Glycol is because
they do not know how to formulate a tyre sealant without
a glycol which does not freeze down to -40oC. They bury
their heads in the sand and hope that nobody notices.
Well that might have been OK throughout the 1960s up
until the present day, but we at Ultraseal UK, knowing that children can have
access to a tyre sealant, decided to invest in years of laboratory research to
find a non toxic alternative that would complement the
sealing properties of our sealant. During our research
and development to find an anti freeze we discovered
that everything available came with their own problems
when added into a tyre sealant and this was probably why
no manufacturer in this industry bothered to invest the
huge amounts in time and money needed to find the
perfect non toxic antifreeze suitable for a product
going into the general public. We did
it, but it was exhaustive. We are now satisfied in the
knowledge that we have a safety product in every way,
and that we are manufacturing according to REACH and
Health and Safety standards and/or guidelines. Lets see if
the rest of the industry can catch up and therefore
comply with new European safety directives.
A major concern
with Ethylene Glycol based tyre sealants is that unaware
and untidy installers will have the sealant soak through
their skin. You don't need to get the full 2 tablespoons
of Ethylene Glycol to soak through the skin in one day
to be lethal because of the conversion to
calcium oxalate crystals in the kidneys.
The process towards acute kidney failure can be a
gradual build-up taking weeks or many years depending
whether the installer was/is full time/part
time/careful/untidy. We have discovered with experience
that it's virtually impossible preventing a tyre sealant
from coming in contact with a persons skin no matter how
careful you are with the installation. Because Ethylene
Glycol based tyre sealants have been around since the
sixties the high number of previous and present users
with potential health symptoms is a cause for concern.
Japan, a country with outstanding safety legislation has
legislated and prohibited the sale of Ethylene Glycol
based tyre sealants. |
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