Gargling with a HAZMAT (TCP Liquid Antiseptic)

Member Name: moshe1

Product:	TCP Liquid Antiseptic
Date:	24/11/02 (1336 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Soothes a sore throat, Is a British tradition

Disadvantages: Carcinogenic

I'd often wondered why nobody in the USA uses TCP. Well, I did some research and I think I've found out the answer.
TCP is 2,4,6-trichlorophenol. It's a flaky yellow solid substance, which in the UK is sold in suspension in small quantities for use as an antiseptic. It's great for cuts and bruises, and as a last resort against particularly evil throat infections. It's also more effective at killing bacteria than toilet bowl cleaner. Practically every UK bathroom cabinet has a bottle of TCP in it.
Anyway... It turns out that 2,4,6-TCP has a close relative -- 2,4,5-TCP. 2,4,5-TCP was one of the main ingredients in Agent Orange. It was discovered during the Vietnam war that the process of making both kinds of TCP tends to produce a particularly unpleasant toxic dioxin, 2,3,7,8-TCDD.
Hence 2,4,5-TCP was banned in the USA in the mid 70s. Dow Chemical still made 2,4,6-TCP for a while, but gave up because (a) demand was low, and (b) the cost of eliminating the dioxin meant it wasn't very profitable. As of now, nobody in the USA makes 2,4,6-TCP.
It also turns out that 2,4,6-TCP is a carcinogen. (Then again, what isn't?)
Oh, and the EPA considers it subject to reporting and record-keeping requirements... So yes, at this very moment English people are gargling with a chemical that the EPA considers a hazardous material.

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