Electrasol banned in Washington state

[vadger1]

Have any of you heard about this? Electrasol liquid detergent was http://www.mcclatchydc.com/260/story/41374.html">banned in parts of Washington state for consumer use (industrial use is still allowed). But basically Electrasol contains very high levels of phosphate (4.9%-8.7%) where laundry detergent was limited to only 0.5% in 1977. Somehow these standards were never applied to dishwashing liquid.

What phosphate does is do semi-permanent damage to water-based ecosystems -- seas, oceans, rivers, etc. It basically kills animal life and makes the area uninhabitable to fish and most plants. Think of mini versions of the "dead zone" in the Gulf, which is created by both agricultural runoff and partially by phosphates.

I'm part of a http://www.thepoint.com/campaigns/save-the-environment-by-boycotting-electra-sol-dishwasher-detergent">boycott to get Electrasol to lower the phosphate content in their products to the allowed 0.5% that other companies abide to. Palmolive has already reacted to the ban by putting an "eco-friendly" detergent on the market, but as far as I know Electrasol hasn't done anything.

Any thoughts on this story?

[jdlh8894]

1. Who can afford Electrasol? n/t

On edit- who can afford a dishwasher?

[vadger1]

2. Somebody can.

Dishwashing products are a $500 million/year industry, so apparently someone's buying these. I personally don't have a dishwasher, so my commitment in this boycott is to not buy Electrasol products in the future for any reason (unless they comply with environmental standards).

[wordpix]

3. how about Electrasol in powder form?

[vadger1]

4. 4.5%

Electrasol Powder still has a 4.5% phosphate concentration, which is a lot given that the legal limit is 0.5% for comparable products (i.e. laundry detergent). Seventh Generation is a phosphate-free alternative, as well as the Trader Joe's detergent. PalmOlive has less phosphate generally and I believe they just released an "eco-friendly" version in response to the Washington ban.

[Jane Austin]

5. "Seventh Generation is a phosphate-free alternative"

That's what I use and it does a great job.

[XemaSab]

6. I use Dawn

I figure if it can get GOBS of congealed crude oil off a seabird's feathers, it can get my dishes clean. :P

[tinrobot]

7. Electrasol doesn't work that well anyways.

I bought some for the dishwasher a few months ago and it left everything with a chalky patina, like it wouldn't rinse off. Wound up switching back to my old brand.

[Indenturedebtor]

8. Yeah my sister picked some up when she was in town here

We used it once and had to spend a long time scrubbing the film off our dishes. we use the trader joes brand and it works wonderfully. Also their "sink" soap is great. Made with coconut oil and whatnot.