Is Kleen Test Products Really Clean?

Ten years ago, an article cited in The Patch raised a community-wide alarm over noxious odors emanating from Kleen Test Product’s Moore Road dryer sheet facility. A petition created by Port Washington resident Amy Leder was brought before the city council and officials from KTP contacted her regarding actions taken to reduce air pollution at Moore Road. The solution for containment was to close off all ventilation leading to the outside and trapping the fumes inside the building--not unlike the “Iron Sarcophagus” built around Chernobyl to contain the infamous Elephant’s Foot. Today, ten years removed from Leder’s petition, residents will agree that their neighborhood is still marred by the odorous haze surrounding Moore Road.
As an industry insider, I was compelled to take a look at the most recent EPA facility reports pertaining to KTP to determine if the facility fits any categories for “Environmental Justice'' (EJ). According to the EPA’s website, EJ is the “meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies”.
In the 2011 article, Leder claims she contacted the DNR in order to better understand the chemicals producing the smell at Moore Road. The DNR suggested toluene may be the culprit. While it’s not certain if toluene is used at Moore Road, an internet search of “dryer sheet manufacturing” reveals multiple manufacturing patents, safety data sheets (SDS), and manufacturing YouTube videos. Dryer sheets are made with quaternary ammonium salts as well as fragrances. The smell Port Washington is experiencing is likely the result of numerous fragrances concentrated together in one facility. During the manufacturing process, the salt is heated to between 185-212°F in order for it to melt onto the dryer sheet fabric. On YouTube, there is a video of dryer sheet manufacturing at a P&G facility in Cincinnati. The machinery appears to be entirely enclosed by plastic fume-hoods and there appears to be ventilation on the ceilings. This is in sharp contrast to the inner workings of the Moore Road facility, where employees claim that the “coating room process” is open air, allowing for a greater chance of fumes to enter the air, flood the entire facility, escape out of open doors, and penetrate into workers' lungs and stomach. Looking at Glassdoor reviews, there are many complaints over safety at KTP. If the coating process is open air and employees are not wearing proper respiratory equipment, the ammonium salt particles can become carcinogenic when they are inhaled or ingested, enter the body and solidify when the chemical approaches body temperature (98.6°F).

According to the most recent 2020 EPA report, the National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) Cancer Risk Index at Moore Road and the Sunset facility is 38.8 and 39.4, respectively. These indices are percentiles measured against other facilities in the United States. The interpretation of this index is that approximately 40 in every 1 million people will be at risk of cancer from the facility. The NATA Respiratory Hazard Index (HI) for Moore Road and Sunset Road is 39.4 and 40, an index that suggests that approximately 40 out of 1 million people are at risk for respiratory issues from these facilities. The Risk Management Index for both facilities is between 42-43. According to the Wisconsin DNR, EJ is sought when a facility approaches indices closer to 80. KTP is halfway there.

Equally concerning to the air quality surrounding Moore Road is the wastewater runoff at the Sunset facility. As you stroll along the walking paths in this area, you will be caught off-guard by the foaming detergents bubbling in the sewers. A glance down into the sewer reveals water containing glitter and an opalescent sheen. This run-off becomes part of the Lake Michigan watershed and damages homes, businesses and piping along the Great Lake. Detergent disrupts the watershed’s natural biosystems and the result is a strong smell of sulfur that emanates from the sewers and drains around Sunset Road, particularly in the summertime months. Despite the EPA’s low Waste Water Index score for Sunset Road, I have to wonder if the facility is doing all it can to curb these avoidable and damaging wastewater spills?

In the last ten years, KTP has increased its EJ indices rather than attempted to reduce them, as indicated by their incredibly average Risk Management score. While it is understood that production demands of plastics and household goods around the world have increased during the pandemic, according to this latest EPA report, KTP is steadily inching its way towards extreme environmental damage.

We are all people of Lake Michigan and it is up to us to monitor, publish and understand these reports for not only ourselves, but for the potentially voiceless employees working in these facilities.