Dishwasher detergent manufacturers add phosphates to loosen dried-on clumps of food, soften the water, and dissolve leftover detergent, leaving shiny dishes and spot-free glassware.
Unfortunately, these phosphates act as nutrients for algae that grow in fresh water. When too much phosphate escapes through the water treatment system and into rivers and lakes, it over-feeds the resident algae. These bloom into slimy, green mats that steal oxygen from the water, create toxins and kill fish.
Existing treatment plants can’t handle the increased amount of phosphates caused by the population increase, so some overflows in the waste stream. For this reason, a dozen states, including Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., have placed a ban on phosphates in dishwasher detergents, beginning July, 2010. Some counties have already started the ban, with mixed results (more about that later).
Aside from bans, another way to keep phosphates out of fresh water would be building more treatment plants or improving the existing ones. Because phosphates cause particles in the waste water to clump up, the overloaded plants need more capacity to process sludge, which is created when phosphates are precipitated out of the waste stream.
Of course, new and improved waste water treatment plants mean consumers ultimately would pay higher water bills. But there may be other choices. For example, one study suggests that in the future, manufacturers might be encouraged to add phosphates back in to dishwasher detergents. Then sewage plant sludge could be used as a high-phosphorous fertilizer on agricultural fields!
So, what happened in the fall of 2008 when two counties in Washington State banned phosphates in dishwasher detergents?
Consumers who bought the phosphate-free detergents available at local stores complained about soil and spots left on their dishes. Members of the public began running their dishwashers on the pots and pans setting, or re-washing dishes by hand, using extra energy and water in the process. Frustrated, shoppers began driving 100 miles across the state border to stock up on their old reliable phosphate-filled detergent brands, creating more pollution in the process.
Thus, even in cases where the science is settled, the best way to proceed is often unclear. Lawmakers need to balance the cost of action against the severity of the problem caused by inaction. And voters need to participate in the discussion and be patient with the process.
Comments
How does this make washing more difficult? Have you ever heard of scrubbing? It's incredibly how lazy people have gotten at the expense of the world around us, and indeed, our own health.
You obviously don't have the problem that we have with hard water... The dishes start out clean and shiny with just "grems" on them and they come out of the dishwasher with a hard whitish coating on them that can only be removed with scraping with a fingernail every square inch of the plate, or whatever , front and back and in all the crevices of a design or using a scrubber--with lots of pressure as you scrub. This is hard on wrists and arms with aches, pains, and arthritis, carpal tunnel etc. besides regular people! Our dishes were always spotless before the phosphate ban!!
ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
ewwwwww dirty dishes
wow it dosnt make doing dishes harder hasnt any one herd of scrubing who ever says that it makes it harder is just lazy
I am fed up with dirty dishes! It is not just food particles it is soap residue also, which can be hard to scrub off! Is it better for the environment to use the water, detergent and electricity it requires to have to run the load 3 times just to get them clean!?! This is not about being lazy. I'm all for saving the planet but not at the risk of my family getting sick from unclean dishes!
I experimented with non-phosphate products for a year before the ban. The best solution I found was Seventh Generation Automatic Dishwater Gel (lemon or grapefruit) in the first cup in the door of the dishwasher, and an Ecover tablet in the second cup. Glassware sparkles, flatware is not discolored, and tea stains on mugs disappear.
The only thing I found non-phosphate products couldn't clean is lipstick on cups or mugs. So lipsticked items will need to be washed by hand. A small price to pay for algae-free waterways,
Interesting. I had no idea so many places stopped selling phosphate detergent. Do people buy phosphate dishwasher detergent online (http://www.bubblebandit.com)?
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