My 2 Cents on Colorants

My discomfort with regulations on colorants in the EU first struck me with an incident completely unrelated to detergents. In fact, I was delighted to be snacking on one of my favorite junk food items, wasabi peas. These are dehydrated peas that have been fried in some sort of wasabi paste mixture. I was commenting to my boyfriend on how they probably contain all kinds of chemicals that might kill me. Naturally, I started preening the ingredient information and set straight about plugging names into Google. This is when I first found out about Tartrazine in the EU.

Tartrazine (E102) can cause allergic reactions in very small number of people, with side effects ranging from hives to headaches. Asthmatics, however, are especially susceptible, and exposure can trigger severe attacks. Further, Tartrazine can play a role in stimulating hyperactive behavior in children. It is not even entirely clear which pathways link to cause these reactions.

So this shouldn't be unnecessarily added to products we consume or come in contact with, right?

Well, apparently Denmark and Sweden believed this and banned a number of suspicious additives. With the overruling of the EU, though, which has deemed these substances "safe," Denmark and Sweden must now allow their use anyway. In fact, they are all over the place: in food, fabric, cosmetics, and detergents.

I have occasionally since pondered on finding the Tartrazine in my wasabi peas, but came across it again just now while investigating the colorants in X-tra Opvask. In this case, the product contains Tartrazine and Brilliant Blue FCF (E133), the former being an allergen and the latter being an irritant. But now I also have had the pleasure of investigating their environmental fates. These colorants are in fact used to make private ponds appear pristine because of their ability to block out certain wavelengths of light that "weeds" and algae thrive on. In other words, in nature these colorants prevent a number of aquatic plants from photosynthesizing. Even worse, Tartrazine is "slightly toxic" to aquatic organisms.

I know that the EU generally prioritizes economic activity over environmental safety, but even over human health? It seems that even if the evidence is ambiguous that the precautionary principle would be wise for something as optional as colorants. I mean, these detergents have huge lists of chemicals to research; but to be fair, most of them serve a functional purpose, be it cleansing, stabilizing, or even conditioning. But colorants are just an unreasonable danger to people and the environment. Get on board, EU!

Mourning Phosphates

It's been wonderful finding that none of the nine selected Danish detergents contain phosphates. Rather, there has been a combination of substitutes such as phosphonates and enzymes that effectively soften water and chelate metals. During my research, however, I've found that the state-mediated regulations in the U.S. on phosphates in detergents is rather recent (varying by state, but within the past few years); and worse it has met resistance.

Just for a touch of background, phosphates degrade into phosphorous in the environment, which -- due to large-scale use in household detergents -- finds environmental pathways to bodies of water. Since phosphorous is a limiting nutrient to plant growth, the newfound abundance has spurred widespread algal and plankton blooms. This leads to a phenomenon called "eutrophication," and can severely damage aquatic ecosystems. The problem became just big enough, just loud enough, and just enough in people's own backyards that there has finally been some action.

However, one must be thoroughly outraged at the glaringly stubborn spots upon once sparkling wine glasses, fresh out of the dishwasher! There was a NPR article last winter (Elizabeth Shogren "Dishes still dirty? Blame phosphate-free detergent." 15 Dec 2010. National Public Radio. Accessed 21 May 2011: http://www.npr.org/2010/12/15/132072122/it-s-not-your-fault-your-dishes-are-still-dirty), in which it's clear that the reason for the removal of phosphates is sometimes neither believed nor accepted. Sue Wright from Austin, Texas, does not believe that phosphates are growing algae. But why? Based on what? Surely one can't believe that the government would make these regulations AND detergent corporations would comply if there were not solid foundation.

This goes to show that despite the ease of access to information (whether scientific or social) and the gradual adjustment with alternatives is not enough to comfort the impact on people's standards of living. According to the article, Sandra Young just adds her own phosphate to her dish detergent now, completely circumventing the purpose of removal in the first place. But I wonder, will she really keep buying the extra phosphate? Will she teach this to her children and will they do the same? Perhaps the change over time will be more easily accepted. Maybe we can all put in a little more effort and hand wash. Or maybe we can live with the spots.

Either way, it's clearly painful mourning phosphates in the U.S.

Brand Information Use in EU Nations

Johanna and I have chosen detergents to analyze that are widely used in Denmark and Sweden. Naturally, this information will be valuable to Scandinavian residents. However, I believe many of these products are marketed all over the EU. This past week, I was traveling in Budapest, Hungary; and I noticed that Ariel, the major brand-name clothing detergent that I selected, is also widely marketed in Hungary. Though the labeling is slightly different, it is likely that the ingredients are the same. Similarly, Palmolive hand soap is popular in North America and is available throughout the world. Since it is probably cheaper to maintain a particular chemical mixture, more information on these products and more awareness could have a potentially larger impact on environmental and health safety. I believe that this kind of acknowledgement of similar brands and similar ingredients is important so that the breadth of relevance of our study can be expanded.

Ingredient Disclosure

I was concerned when compiling the ingredient lists on the various detergent containers when I came to realize that not all information is created equally. Rather, the ecological products are openly providing much more detail about the contents of the detergents than non-ecological labels. I thought that this might prove to be a barrier to effectively comparing the detergents and their safety. However, when researching this issue, I found that Denmark is subject to EU regulations on labeling, and that I will be able to obtain the necessary information. This excerpt is taken from the Danish Ministry of the Environment:

"Disclosure / Declaration:

The packaging of detergents that are marketed to consumers must contain the following information in legible, visible and indelible characters:
• Product name and trade name.
• Name or trade name or trademark and full address and telephone number of the person responsible for marketing.
• Address and phone number and any email address from which doctors can find relevant information about product ingredients.

The packaging shall also bear the dosage as prescribed and with the address of a site where there is free access to list all product ingredients."

Source: http://www.mst.dk/Virksomhed_og_myndighed/Kontrol_i_ojenhojde/Tjekp%C3%A5markningen/M%C3%A6rkningsregler+for+vaskemidler/

It's a relief to find that transparency is a priority, and it is especially comforting to find that all surfactants must be biodegradable! This doesn't necessarily mean that they do not have other environmental or health impacts, but it does mitigate some :) So forthcoming will be investigations into the complete ingredients of the detergents.

What is the EU ecolabel?

"The European Ecolabel is a voluntary scheme, established in 1992 to encourage businesses to market products and services that are kinder to the environment. Products and services awarded the Ecolabel carry the flower logo, allowing consumers - including public and private purchasers - to identify them easily. Today the EU Ecolabel covers a wide range of products and services, with further groups being continuously added. Product groups include cleaning products, appliances, paper products, textile and home and garden products, lubricants and services such as tourist accommodation." Source: ec.europa.eu