Does bleach and washing up liquid that goes down the drain\toilet damage environment?

Worztron

Hi.

Does bleach and washing up liquid that goes down the drain\toilet damage the environment?

Oldtree

You have an alternative with biodegradable products:

http://www.evergreen.ie/ecofriendly-household-products/8cat.aspx

Bababa2012

Worztron wrote: »

Hi.

Does bleach and washing up liquid that goes down the drain\toilet damage the environment?

Doesnt improve the environment anyway!! Apart from the toilet

paddyandy

How much is getting back into the taps ? Also many other preparations like cosmetics etc? etc, etc .Do we have SERIOUS data and is the data itself filtered .

Judgement Day

No, it's like driving cars with unleaded petrol, the more we drive/put down the sink the better it's for the environment. :rolleyes:

Birdnuts

Worztron wrote: »

Hi.

Does bleach and washing up liquid that goes down the drain\toilet damage the environment?

bleach in particular is bad news for septic tank performance.

djpbarry

Worztron wrote: »

Does bleach and washing up liquid that goes down the drain\toilet damage the environment?

It's all a question of concentrations. Generally speaking, they are both relatively harmless. Sodium hypochlorite is the principle component in most bleach products and it is highly volatile, meaning that it reacts readily with other substances. Hence, once it makes it's way into an aquatic environment, it is broken down very quickly. The only danger really is if large quantities of bleach were being dumped into a small pond, say.

As for detergents, they linger around for a little longer and treated sewage sludge that gets spread on land has been shown to contain relatively high levels of detergent residues (or "surfactants", the main ingredient in domestic detergents, short for "surface active agents"). However, there is no evidence that this poses any danger to flora/fauna and the surfactants will decompose in an aerobic environment over a period of days or possibly weeks. Remember, washing-up liquid is present in far higher concentrations in your wash basin when you're cleaning your dishes and it won't do your hands any harm *.

* This post has not been endorsed by any manufacturers of a mild, green liquid.

freddyuk

If we all pour a well known brand of bleach down all our toilets all the time and this bleach kills all known germs (bacteria) and all our sewerage is broken down and made harmless by the action of bacteria in either municipal sewage farms or our own septic tank or bio digester what happens to the residue normally rendered harmless by the action of said bacteria? That residue is discharged into groundwater or water courses. In a small system the use of bleach will mean your sewerage treatment is badly affected but I have no idea of the safeguards in place for a large community system.
Dilution used to be a factor but now the regulations insist on 6 litres per flush that may not be effective any more.
I hope someone can explain the potential outcome?

mawk

mildly ot, but ive read some research that girls on the pill are damaging the environment.
apparently some of the progesterone passes in urine and makes it into the water system which eventually has all sorts of funny effects on wildlife