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It’s not news to many that over the counter chemical drain cleaners are made from toxic ingredients, that can cause skin, eye, nose, throat, sinus and lung irritation. These products are deadly poison if swallowed and can pose a health threat to internal organs and the central nervous system.
What happens to the foaming bubbling, liquids and gels after they vanish down your drains? The next stop for the acid (sulphuric acid) and alkaline (chlorine and sodium hydroxide) chemicals is the local municipal waste plant where they are treated along with sewage and then discharged into the water supply. Some areas of the country have drainage systems which have links to lakes and ponds allowing these chemicals to be released into nearby waterways and other environmental systems. Yes, some ingredients can break down into harmless substances during treatment or soon afterward but other chemicals do not break down and remain toxic. There are other additives in these formulas such as surfactants and synthetic fragrances but they are considered trade secrets and do not have to be listed.
A bigger problem arises from the unintended mixing of all these chemicals with others that stem from a myriad of sources which can include anything from pesticide runoff to shampoos, soaps and household and industrial products. The molecules break down and form unnatural combinations that are often more toxic than the individual chemicals. These mixtures move through the process stream into our lands, rivers and oceans and have the potential to be lethal to water quality, fish and other wildlife.
Even the manufacturing processes of these drain cleaners can be potentially toxic. Large tankers trucks deliver the chemicals to the manufacturing plants. They may use enclosures to surround tankers, hoping to curb fumes from the hoses or tanks but there is always risk that these dangerous fumes or chemicals can be released into the atmosphere. Hoses connect the distribution tanks with the tanks within the building because the solution is very dangerous to human skin. Human operators are warned never to touch any of these materials directly in any part of the manufacture of chemical drain cleaners.
In 1976 Congress passed the Toxic Substances Control Act (TCSA) but to date the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has tested only 200 of the more than 80,000 chemical compounds developed for all sorts of products used in the home; drain cleaners included.
There were two bills introduced in 2010 designed to update the antiquated TCSA. H.R. 5820, “The Toxic Chemicals Safety Act of 2010” and the "Safe Chemicals Act," S. 3209 which would for the first time reform the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act, or TSCA, to require manufacturers to provide information about chemicals in consumer products instead of presuming substances are safe until proven dangerous. Both bills need to be strengthened but it is a start.
Another problem often overlooked is what to do with the empty containers. You might think to drop the ‘empty’ plastic bottles into your recycling bin but there is always chemical residue left so your containers are considered contaminated. They really should not be recycled even if made of recycle-compatible materials. If you dispose of them in the garbage, they will end up in landfills. The best idea is to take your products to a hazardous household waste collection center available in many municipalities. An even better idea is not to buy these hazardous chemicals at all. It isn’t necessary when you can use Drainbo® Natural Drain Care Treatment and Cleaner.
Drainbo uses seven strains of bacteria that thrive on the natural process of biological decomposition that has kept our environment in perfect equilibrium since the beginning of time. This ongoing process is the work of trillions of tiny, naturally occurring, living microorganisms that use organic waste as their food and energy source. It's nature's way of recycling and renewing through a steady decomposition of organic waste matter and its conversion to simple, essential substances.
We are finally beginning to understand the degree to which what we put down our drain matters – not just to our drain pipes or sewer systems but to the natural world around us.
Dangerous chemicals have been found in the blood of general populations and wildlife. In addition, many of them bio-accumulate up the food chain. The bigger fish or animal eats the toxic smaller one and the chemicals become exponentially more toxic along the way. Did we somehow forget that humans are the apex predators at the top of the food chain!
We are at the proverbial crossroads and it is time for us all to choose responsibly the ingredients and methods that are benign and sustainable to the environment and every creature in it - for our generation, and as the wise Native American tradition notes, “for seven generations to come.”
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