This week on Environmental News
The Environmental Health News reports today about what happens when you flush? The title intrigued me so I read on, and not to my surprise, the article reports how chemicals from the products we use in cosmetics, hygiene products, cleaners and laundry soaps end up in our waterways. This is not new information, however, what is new about this information is that our sewage treatment plants are designed to breakdown and convert organic wastes into carbon dioxide, nitrates and phosphates, all of which are found in our natural environments. In contrast to the synthetic ingredients found in the products that we use everyday are not naturally occurring compounds that are found in our environment, these synthetics are called 'xenobiotics', meaning it is not a chemical or substance found in the natural world. Some chemicals such as: sorbitol, sodium fluoride, sodium hypochlorite, paraben, chemicals that are in our soaps and shampoos are xenobiotics. These chemicals are not broken down and pass through the sewage system unchanged and end up in drinking water, streams, rivers, groundwater and oceans. The message of this news post is that pollution does not have to come from the corporate world of industries that dump thousands of gallons of contaminated water into our waterways but it also comes from human wastes that are not organic!
Post credited to William H. Schlesinger from ehn.org
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