Case Study

Ill effects of Detergents on Environment

Soaps, as already stated, are biodegradable. This
implies that when discharged into water bodies,
these are acted upon by microorganisms in presence
of dissolved oxygen into harmless products (e.g.
carbon dioxide, water, carbonates and bicarbonates).
On the other hand, detergents affect the environment.
Following are given some of the harmful effects of
detergents on the environment.
1. Detergents containing phosphate as builders
contribute to the growth of algae in water bodies.
This results in consuming the dissolved oxygen
and the aquatic animals are deprived of oxygen
resulting in their death. Thus, phosphate
detergents are the main cause of eutrophication
of water bodies, particularly lakes.
2. Aquatic animals and water plants are severely
affected by synthetic A concentration of 2.5–3.5
per cent of common household detergents causes
mortality to some types of fish and retard the
growth of (or even kill) the water plants.
3. Health hazards—The workers in detergent
industry are exposed to enzyme additive in the
 formulation section. The enzymes attack the
proteins in the soft lung tissue resulting in
allergic conditions and respiratory problems.
4. The potable water acquires objectionable taste.
5. The detergents make the water purification
process difficult. This is because, the
microorganisms which oxidize organic
pollutants to harmless materials are killed. Also,
with detergents, the oily and greasy impurities
are emulsified and their removal becomes
difficult by skimming process.