The company Swatab claims it no longer sells its deionized water washing system to emergency services.
This after criticism about poor washing results and concerns that toxic substances remain in the fabric.
But Kalla fakta’s review shows that at least one rescue service uses the system today.
– In the event of a fire, carcinogenic particles get stuck in the clothes, and we certainly don’t want to carry these with us afterwards. The risk is that we think the clothes are clean, but they are not, says firefighter Christer Nyberg.
One of the municipalities that has tested Swatab’s washing system with deionized water is Kristianstad. The emergency services wanted to make an effort for the environment and at the same time reduce the costs of detergents. Swatab’s marketing, to use a filter to deionize the water and get at least as good washing results, was tempting.
The emergency services invested SEK 200,000, among other things, to wash the firefighters’ alarm stands. But the lack of scientific evidence behind the method raised concerns among the employees.
– I received calls where you had clothes that had gotten faeces on them and you couldn’t get them out in the wash. Then you wonder how clean they were after working on a fire, says Christer Nyberg, part-time firefighter and safety representative in Kristianstad.
After six months, the emergency services stopped using the DIRO system when tests showed that deionized water was no better than regular detergent.
Continues to sell to emergency services
Swatab claims that they no longer sell to emergency services or do laundry at all, but focus on housekeeping. But Kalla fakta’s review shows that until as recently as November this year, the company marketed itself against rescue services on its website with phrases such as “Sustainable laundry for healthy firefighters” and “Reduce health-hazardous substances that cause cancer in firefighters”.
Swatab claims that they have not directed any sales efforts to emergency services since 2020, but Cold facts can show that Mönsterås emergency services bought the DIRO system for washing alarm stands in December 2022.
Despite the lack of scientific evidence, Swatab is adamant that the method works.
Isn’t there a risk of using this when it comes to carcinogenic particles?
– No greater risk than the laundry you have in general, no, says Swatab CEO Mats Marklund.
– But it is a business area where we feel that it will be difficult for us to build a market at the moment.