Cleaning Kills!
(Page 5 of 6)
November/December 1970
By the Mother Earth News editors
SEWAGE TREATMENT
RELATED CONTENT
The detergent industry denies that there is any conclusive proof that phosphates cause eutrophication and denies that it can safely remove phosphates from detergents. The only possible solution to the eutrophication problem, they claim, is removal of all nutrients during sewage treatment. True, we must progress as rapidly as possible with advanced sewage treatment, but this is not an alternative to phosphate-free detergents. The changeover to phosphate-free detergents can be accomplished much faster and at much less cost than the immediate construction of sufficient sewage-treatment facilities. Wasted time means more algae-filled lakes and more irreversible damage. Consider also what would be done with the millions of tons of phosphorus once it was removed from the effluent. Disposal of it would cause further land, water and air pollution which could be avoided if the phosphorus were not present in the effluent in the first place.
GOVERNMENT DRAGS HEELS
It is not surprising that, although the problem has been known in industrial and governmental circles for some time, there has been no progress in combating eutrophication. At hearings in 1969, representatives of both the Interior Department and the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration (FWPCA) testified against immediate removal of phosphates from detergents. The Joint Industry-Government Task Force on Eutrophication, which was originally formed to secure the cooperation of industry with government to remove phosphates from detergents, has actually served the opposite purpose. This reticence has caused considerable delay. Fortunately, the truth about the connection between detergent phosphates and eutrophication is becoming known. On April 14, 1970, the Committee on Government Operations in the House of Representatives published a report entitled "Phosphate in Detergents and Eutrophication of America's Waters," on which much of this article is based. Available from the Superintendent of Documents, US Government Printing Office, for 40 cents, it is well worth reading. The report contains eight recommendations:
1. Phosphorus should be eliminated from all detergents by 1972, subject to extension only to prevent detergent shortages.
2. Detergent manufacturers should promptly begin substantial reduction of phosphate content.
3. "Enzyme" pre-soaks should be removed from the market. (They actually contain two-thirds phosphate.)
4. Pending complete elimination of phosphate builders, detergents should be formulated for hard or soft water and labeled with proper and informative instructions.
5. The Federal Trade Commission should require ingredients to be listed on the labels, in order of decreasing predominance. Unless the product is phosphate-free, it should plainly state whether it is for use in hard or soft water.
6. The FWPCA should conduct an education campaign to inform consumers of the pollutional effects of phosphates and other detergent contents.
7. The present Joint Industry-Government Task Force should be replaced by a "broadly representative action group. "
8. The FWPCA should support research into low phosphate and phosphate-free detergents.
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