PROTECTIVE BARRIERS FOR THE SKIN 279 account for approximately 65 per cent of all disease due to occupational factors, excluding industrial accidents. The findings of Schwartz of the U.S. Public Health Service show that occupational dermatoses are in- creasing while other industrial diseases are decreasing, bringing the figure up to about 70 per cent. This authority reports that more than a quarter of a million industrial workers annually lose time from their jobs because of skin diseases directly traceable to chemicals and other substances they are required to handle as part of their daily work. He further asserts that each case of industrial dermatitis costs $200.00 on an average--S100.00 as compensation and a similar amount for medical costs. The importance of preventive measures should be quite ob- vious." (21). The quotation just cited appeared in a 1947 publication. Since that date, the industrial pace of the nation has certainly not slowed hence it is safe to assume that these statistics are valid none-to-the-less in today's economy. It is manifest that here is a vast potential market for cosmetic chemists. Theirs is the training and the experience theirs is the industry with research and production facilities available. In that industry are to be found the personnel and equipment best suited to discover, to formu- late, and to manufacture better protective barriers for the skin. REFERENCES (1) Lee, Charles O., "The Official Preparations of Pharmacy," 2nd Edition, St. Louis, The C. V. Mosby Company (1953), p. 305. (2) Powers, D. H., and Fox, C., Proc. Sci. Sect. Toilet Goods zlssoc., No. 28, 21 (1957). (3) Van Abbe, N.J., Soap, Perfumery & Cosmetics, 33, 53 (1960). (4) Lesser, M., and Lesser, A., Drug& CosmeticInd., 68, 318 (1951). (5) Schwartz, Louis, Ind. Med., 2, 457 (1942). (6• Cook, M. K., Dr•_f& CosmeticIn&,84, 32 (1959•_ •75 Rohn, H. L., and Schwartzkopf, H. E., thr•h-•7• d., 53, 4665 (1959). (8) Luckiesh, M., "Application of Germicidal, Erythemal, and Infrared Energy," New York, D. Van Nostrand Co.,'Inc. (1946). (9) Klarmann, E.G., Drug & CosmeticInd., 81,299, 454 (1957). (10) Orlup, J. W., Arm. Perfumer, 52, 49 (1936). (11) Rathmon, S., and Henningsen, A. B., •7. Invest. Dermatol., 9, 307 (1947). (12) Giese, A. C., Christensen, E., and Jeppson, J., 55 Arm. Pharm. Atssoc., Sci. Ed., 39, 30 (1950). (13) Kumler, W., and Kumler, D., Arm. Perfumer Essent. OilRev., 60, 427 (1952). (14) Periodical No. 1704, National Better Business Bureau, Inc., June 27, 1960, reprinted in Arm. Perfumer, 75, 49 (1960). (15) Peel, N. S., Soap, Perfumery & Cosmetics, 26, 152 (1953). (16) Horner, S. G., Pharm. •., 160, 7 (1948). (17) Anonymous, Chem. Prod., Jan. 7 (1960). (18) Sagarin, E., Editor, "Cosmetics: Science and Technology," New York, Interscience Publishers, Inc. (1957), p. 160. (19) Plein, J., and Plein, E., 55 Arm. Pharm. Atssoc., Sci. Ed., 42, 79 (1953). (20) Editorial Note, Soap, Perfumery & Cosmetics, 31, 1153 (1958). (21) Thomssen, E.G., "Modern Cosmetics," 3rd Edition, New York, Drug & Cosmetic Industry (1947), p. 135.

THE INTERFERENCE OF NONIONIC EMULSIFIERS WITH PRESERVATIVES IX By JOHANNA POPRZAN AND MAISON G. DENAVARRE* Presented September l, 1960, Munich, Congress of IFSCC A vREV•OVS STVD¾ (1) has indicated that some polyols, e.g., hexylene glycol, commercial propylene glycol, and 1,3-propanediol are effective in low concentration for purposes of preserving nonionic surfactant solutions. Propylene glycol is known to possess antimicrobial properties being used as a preservative in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. Because propylene glycol is so widely used as a humectant in cosmetic and pharmaceutical products, it may account for the fact that many nonionic surfactant type emulsions on the market are free from spoilage. These products may be preserved by the dual action of the polyol and the com- monly used preservative. The present study will evaluate the effectiveness of other common polyols and alcohols, both as preservatives and as synergists in nonionic emulsions. The disinfectant activity of the simple aliphatic alcohols is well known. Some polyols have shown synergistic antimicrobial activity in non- ionic surfactant solutions, the alcohols then seem to be in a logical position to produce possibly better results. EXPER•4•NTAL A 2 per cent solution of the nonionic G-3720 [polyoxyethylene (20) stearyl alcohol] was used throughout this work for reasons of convenience. This nonionic solution was prepared in either nutrient broth (for bacterial tests), or in Czapek Dox broth (for mold tests). The various polyols or alcohols were then added to the nonionic solutions in concentrations re- quired by the test. Methyl p-hydroxybenzoate, if required for the test. was added prior to sterilization at 15 pounds pressure for twenty minutes The addition of the alcohols and polyols after sterilization was done sepa- rately to test the effect of sterilization on these substances. Essentially, the same results were obtained, which proved that sterilization had no ill effect on these particular materials. * Cosmetic Laboratories, Inc., Detroit 7, Mich. 280