Water pollution caused by detergents

Water pollution caused by detergents

Subject: Environment

Context: Contamination and pollution of water are serious problems today.

Concept:

Water pollution caused by detergents is now a big concern in the global context. The per capita detergent consumption in India is around 2.7 kilogram per year. It is around 10 kg in the United States of America.

Constituents

• Nonylphenol, a hazardous chemical present in detergents, is known to enter water bodies and the food chains. It bio-accumulates and can pose serious environmental and health risks.
• A few more harmful components of detergents which are anthropogenic components such as herbicides, pesticides and heavy metal concentrations (like zinc, cadmium and lead)
• Many laundry detergents contain approximately 35 to 75 per cent phosphate salts.

Effects

• This blocks out light and disrupting the growth of plants
• It has been detected in human breast milk, blood and urine, and is associated with reproductive and developmental effects in rodents.
• Detergents also contain oxygen-reducing substances (ie, a chemical compound that readily transfer oxygen atoms) that may cause severe damage to the fishes and other marine animals.
• Detergents are capable of destroying the external mucus layers that protect the fish from bacteria and parasites, causing severe damage to the gills. Mostly fish die when detergent concentrations are near 15 parts per million (ppm); however, detergent concentrations as low as 5 ppm will kill fish eggs
• The detergents contain suspected carcinogens, and ingredients that do not fully biodegrade.
• Phosphate tends to inhibit the biodegradation of organic substances. Non-biodegradable substances cannot be eliminated by public or private wastewater treatment.
• Turbidity also clogs the respiratory system of some species of fishes.
• Pathogens from these toxic water bodies cause diseases, some fatal, in human or animal hosts diseases.
• Drinking water contaminated with detergents can be hazardous to human health.
• Some phosphate-based detergents can also cause eutrophication. Phosphate-enrichment can cause the water body to become choked with algae and other plants.

Steps:

• In Belgium, phosphates are restricted for use in household detergents since 2003.
• The Bureau of Indian Statistics (BIS) has set the standard of phenolic compounds in drinking water {0.001 milligram per litre (mg/L)} and surface water (5.0 mg/L).
• The use of ecofriendly and biodegradable detergents should be encouraged to lower our laundry footprints.