In recent times, water pollution triggered by detergents has drawn significant global concern. The average detergents consumption per individual in India is approximately 2.7 kilograms annually, and it goes up to 3.7kg in Malaysia and the Philippines and as high as 10kg in the United States of America.
Understanding Water Pollution
Water pollution happens when damaging substances, such as chemicals or microorganisms, contaminate bodies of water. This contamination causes degradation in water quality, transforming it into a hazardous entity to humans and the environment. Water’s ability to dissolve numerous substances makes it uniquely susceptible to pollution. The sources of water pollution range from sewage water, industrial wastes, agricultural runoff, thermal and radiation pollution, to invasive species and underground water contaminants.
Point Source vs. Non-Point Source Pollution
Pollution can occur in two ways: point source and non-point source. Point source pollution refers to pollutants discharged directly into a water body from a specific location, such as an industrial effluent pipe. In contrast, non-point source pollution involves the release of pollutants from wider or diffuse areas, like agricultural fields, grazing lands, construction sites, and abandoned mines.
The Link Between Detergents and Pollution
Detergents are cleaning agents composed of surfactants that lower the surface tension of liquids and improve their wetting properties. They are more soluble in hard water than soap, as their sulfonate doesn’t bind calcium and other ions like soap’s carboxylate does. However, they have considerable environmental impacts:
Bioaccumulation of Nonylphenol
Nonylphenol, a hazardous chemical found in detergents, enters the water bodies and the food chain. Its bioaccumulation can lead to serious environmental and health risks, such as reproductive and developmental effects in animals, even being detected in human body fluids.
Inhibition of Biodegradation
Laundry detergents often contain high percentages of phosphate salts, which can contribute to water pollution. Phosphates inhibit the biodegradation of organic substances, resulting in non-biodegradable materials not being eliminated by wastewater treatments.
Eutrophication
Phosphate-based detergents may also cause eutrophication, a state where excessive nutrients in waters lead to dense plant growth and the depletion of available oxygen. This process can kill other organisms, thus disturbing the environmental equilibrium.
Oxygen-Reducing Substances
Detergents contain oxygen-reducing substances causing severe damage to marine life by depleting the oxygen levels in water bodies.
Destruction of Mucus
Detergents destroy external mucus layers that shield fish from bacteria and parasites, inflicting severe damage to their gills. Concentrations as low as 5 parts per million (ppm) of detergents can be fatal to fish eggs.
Making Water Turbid
The anthropogenic components in detergents, such as herbicides, pesticides, and heavy metals like zinc, cadmium, and lead can darken the water, disrupting plant growth and clogging some fish species’ respiratory systems.
Human Health Risks
Detergents contain suspected carcinogens that are hazardous to human health. They also have ingredients that do not fully biodegrade, increasing their potential to harm the environment.
Indian Initiatives: ECOMARK Scheme
India has launched the ECOMARK scheme to label environment-friendly products. This national scheme provides accreditation and labeling for products that meet specific environmental criteria and Indian Standards’ quality requirements. The Ecomark Scheme covers various product categories, including soaps and detergents.
Bioaccumulation vs Biomagnification
Bioaccumulation is the increase in concentration of chemicals within an organism due to ingestion of toxic substances that accumulate in their tissues. On the other hand, biomagnification is the buildup of toxic chemicals within predators, affecting all organisms within a food chain, with those at the top being the most impacted.