Phosphorus is a nutrient required by all organisms for the basic processes of life. A natural element found in rocks, soils and organic material, phosphorus clings tightly to soil particles and is used by plants, so its concentration in clean lakes and streams is generally very low. However, phosphorus is used extensively in many dishwashing detergents and other household and industrial chemicals, so it can be found in higher concentrations in areas of human activity. Many seemingly harmless activities added together can cause phosphorus overloads in an ecosystem.
Most automatic dishwashing detergents have between 4%-8% phosphorous content. So what? My dishwasher uses about 4 Tablespoons for one load or 2.9 grams of 4.5% phosphorus detergent. If I do one load a day, this results in about 2.3 pounds per year of phosphorus, which could end up in our lakes and streams. One pound of phosphorus can result in ~ 500 pounds of green algae, that is over 1000 pounds/ year for one household! Now multiply this amount by large lakeside population of the WAPOA area.
The following table is the phosphorus content of major dishwashing detergents: Test
Consumer Reports recommends Trader Joe’s dishwashing detergent as the most effective since it has enzymes and is phosphorus free. Also, many of the phosphorus-free brands can be purchased on-line.
Let’s keep phosphorus out of our lakes and use low or phosphorous-free detergents!
