The Right Chemistry: Bile, bears and bubbles

We, at the McGill Office for Science and Society, often receive questions about consumer products that can require us to engage in an investigation. Such was the case when a query about the effectiveness of “bile” or “gall” soap in removing stains from fabrics came our way. That investigation took us down a road that diverged into two paths, one intriguing, the other dark, dingy and disturbing. Let’s deal with the latter first.
Bile is a fluid generated by the liver