Phosphate follies

I'm sure many readers have been as frustrated as I to discover that the new 'phosphate-free' dishwashing detergents don't remove ingrained grime or dried food worth a damn. I'd say they're no more than 70% as effective as the old, phosphated varieties. I now have to hand-wash dishes, using regular sink detergent, and make sure they're clean, before I put them in the dishwasher for a disinfecting run-through. Something's wrong with this picture . . .

Of course, this is only the beginning. As Treehugger points out:

Activists have been trying to get phosphates banned for 40 years, but soap-makers have lobbied intensively, claiming that it was impossible to remove that ingredient from their products (or that if they could do it with laundry detergent, it couldn't be done with dishwasher detergent, and so on). But over the years, many green soap-makers have shown the public that it could be done.

The next step will be to reduce agricultural run-offs of nitrogen and phosphorus that also cause algae blooms and aquatic dead zones. Agriculture is a huge source of these chemicals, mostly because it pays more for farmers to put more fertilizer than they need "just in case" than to put only what's required. Better farming techniques (more high-tech soil sensors, etc) and organic farming techniques could help reduce that problem.

There's more at the link.

They won't stop at detergents and fertilizers, either. How about genetically modifying farm animals to reduce their phosphate 'footprint'?

Researchers have been working on the Enviropig for more than a decade.

They believe it will be the first GM [genetically modified] animal to be allowed into the food chain and could one day provide sausages, bacon and pork for the world.

Like all creatures, pigs need phosphorus in their diet to help form strong bones, teeth and cell walls.

They are fed primarily on cereals which contains a type of phosphorus that they cannot digest. Most farmers have to feed pigs an enzyme called phytase to make plant phosphorus digestible.

But phytase supplements are not very good at breaking down phosphorus, so a large amount is flushed out of their bodies in waste.

The phosphorous-rich manure can make its way into the water supply where it triggers algal blooms, which choke aquatic life and create ‘dead zones’ for fish.

Unlike normal pigs, Enviropigs have been designed to produce their own phytase.

Researchers took a gene responsible for the creation of phytase from an E.coli bacteria and added it to the genetical make-up of a Yorkshire pig.

To make sure the bacterium gene would work in the animal, they combined it with a gene taken from a mouse before inserting it into the Enviropig’s DNA.

In tests, the Enviropig was able to absorb more phosphorous from its feed. Its waste contained less of the potentially toxic substance.

Its meat also appears to be identical to cuts from a traditional Yorkshire pig.

Again, more at the link.

OK. For the sake of the environment, I'm willing to cut back on phosphates in detergents, fertilizers, even in my bacon and ham . . . but would somebody please invent something to replace phosphates that works as well as they used to??? Is that too much to ask? If I can no longer get my dishes and cooking utensils properly clean, isn't that as much of a risk to my health (and that of my family and guests) as too much phosphate released into the environment?

Sheesh . . .





Peter