SDA Hygiene Outreach Efforts Honored with Award of Excellence

WASHINGTON, July 31 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Educational and media outreach
efforts by The Soap and Detergent Association (SDA - www.cleaning101.com) on
the health benefits of hand hygiene have been honored with a 2008 Associations
Advance America Award of Excellence.

The honor is given annually by the American Society of Association Executives
(ASAE) to associations that "propel America forward with innovative projects
in education, skills training, business and social innovation, knowledge
creation, citizenship and community service."

The ASAE award recognized SDA's "Clean Hands, Healthy Lives" campaign, which
is a compendium of educational programs and media outreach on the importance
of hand hygiene and its impact on preventing illness.

SDA was one of just 38 non-profit organizations nationally to receive the ASAE
honor.

"SDA proactively takes a lead role in working with the news media, educators
and health professionals to spread the message about the public health
benefits of hand hygiene," said Ernie Rosenberg, SDA President and CEO.

"Through strategic partnerships and innovative consumer surveys, SDA shares
science-based information on the safe, proper and effective use of hand
hygiene products. We are proud of these efforts and will continue to work
with our members and our partners in sharing common sense messages about the
positive health benefits of good hygiene."

SDA's educational and outreach activities include:

-- The "Healthy Schools, Healthy People: It's a SNAP" program
(www.itsasnap.org), a joint project of SDA and the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC). Launched in 2002, SNAP - the School Network for
Absenteeism Prevention - seeks to improve hand hygiene habits among middle
school personnel and students to help prevent the spread of infectious
diseases and reduce related absenteeism. SNAP was honored in 2005 with an
ASAE Award of Excellence.

-- The C.L.E.A.N.(TM) (Custodial Leaders for Environmental Advocacy
Nationwide) Awards Program, a joint school cleanliness initiative sponsored by
SDA, CDC and the National Education Association Health Information Network.
The new award will be presented to a school custodian who demonstrates
outstanding leadership in school cleanliness and reflects the contributions
that education support professionals can make to public health.

-- SDA has twice partnered with the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) to
sponsor observational studies of public handwashing habits. A 2007 SDA/ASM
news conference and news release announcing the results generated 250
newspaper, 400 Internet and 200 broadcast stories, which included messages
about the importance of cleaning one's hands with soap and water, or with
sanitizers or hand wipes if soap and water are not readily available.

-- SDA is a member of the Clean Hands Coalition (www.cleanhandscoalition.org)
, which annually supports National Clean Hands Week (September 21-27, 2008).
The Coalition is an alliance of public and private partners working together
to create and support coordinated, sustained initiatives to significantly
improve health and save lives through clean hands.

The Soap and Detergent Association (www.cleaning101.com), the Home of the U.S.
Cleaning Products Industry(TM), is the non-profit trade association
representing manufacturers of household, industrial, and institutional
cleaning products, their ingredients and finished packaging; oleochemical
producers; and chemical distributors to the cleaning product industry. SDA
members produce more than 90 percent of the cleaning products marketed in the
U.S. The SDA is located at 1500 K Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005.

SOURCE The Soap and Detergent Association

Brian Sansoni of the Soap and Detergent Association, +1-202-662-2517 or
+1-202-680-9327, bsansoni@cleaning101.com