European Union Expected to Ban Phosphates in Dishwasher & Laundry Soap

The European Union (EU) is expected to follow the lead of a number of individual countries and ban phosphates in dishwasher and laundry soap.

The EU ban is expected to commence in 2013; however, countries including Germany, France and Italy already ban phosphates from soaps because they are the third biggest source of algae pollution in European rivers, lakes and seas, behind farming and raw sewage

The more phosphates there are in a body of water, the more algae that grows, leaving less

Only through a more complete EU phosphate ban can some so-called “dead” areas of water – including areas of the Baltic Sea, be brought back to life, the critics also say.

To learn more, read the article from Reuters.