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For sure, nothing is infallible, I think most of what ends up in my inbox as a forwarded WARNING/dangerous this or that-- is a hoax. Snopes is easy to access & good place to start to see if anyone has looked into it. Just another good resource. As is urban legends about.com
My thoughts on it...
Ethylene glycol is in antifreeze, it causes kidney failure, not to be found in any cleaning products that I have heard of.
Propylene glycol is also in many antifreezes, as well as cosmetics, lotions, and medical supplies and medicines. It is all over the place, FDA thinks it is safe, ASPCA thinks it is safe. It is in the swiffer wet jet thing's ingredients along with isopropyl alcohol- another 'ol'
They are very different in their toxicities, but all alcohols.
ASPCA animal poison control is not worried about swiffers. I am not either, other than as with ANY cleaning product- do not eat it, do not drink it, do not clean your feet/paws/hands with your mouth after using it, do not allow pets to walk on recently cleaned areas until the areas have dried.
Acute liver failure in a GSD- infectious diseases like leptospirosis, toxic mushrooms, moldy food, moldy compost eating, human drugs (tylenol), algae from drinking in ponds, sago palms, xylitol in gum (Xylitol---now that is one true e-mail scary forward I received). So many things can cause acute liver failure in pets. Unfortunate for the dog & owner, but shouldn't be blamed on the swiffer use.
Febreze is another product that the rumor mill has gone wild with. I wouldn't spray it on my pets directly or use it around birds period, but I think all of the reports are anecdotal.
I personally don't use febreze air freshener- I open the windows for fresh air, or more directly address the smelly problem. Swiffer mops I think are silly. Things with disposable parts for cleaning make me crazy- I use a sponge mop and plain water most of the time to pick up dust and dirt, and spot clean the bad areas with vinegar or simple green.
