question: Why is it considered ok to wash dish soaps, detergents, laundry soaps, etc. down the drain if those things are considered harmful to us?
comment: Because the drain leads to a water treatment plant that cleans the water. Poop is pretty harmful to us... but you didn't question washing it down the drain...
passages: In the US, the EPA set criteria which recommends that nonylphenol concentration should not exceed 6.6 ug/l in fresh water and 1.7 ug/l in saltwater. In order to do so, the EPA is supporting and encouraging a voluntary phase-out of nonylphenol in industrial laundry detergents. Similarly, the EPA is documenting proposals for a "significant new use" rule, which would require companies to contact the EPA if they decided to add nonylphenol to any new cleaning and detergent products. They also plan to do more risk assessments to ascertain the effects of nonylphenol on human health and the environment. It was suggested that nonylphenol could be added to the list of chemicals on the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, but this has yet to occur as of 2014.
   Banning discussion in the United States started because of pollution of the Great Lakes. Seventeen US states have partial or full bans on the use of phosphates in dish detergent, and two US states (Maryland and New York) ban phosphates in commercial dishwashing. In 1983 there was a corruption scandal in which industry sought to influence government regulators regarding the ban.
  
  Some dishwashing detergents may contain phosphorus, an ingredient which at least two states in the United States have limited use in dishwashing detergent.
  
  Section::::Environmental impact.
   Section::::Principal sources.:Marinas and boating activities.
  
  Chemicals used for boat maintenance, like paint, solvents, and oils find their way into water through runoff. Additionally, spilling fuels or leaking fuels directly into the water from boats contribute to nonpoint source pollution. Nutrient and bacteria levels are increased by poorly maintained sanitary waste receptacles on the boat and pump-out stations.
  
  Section::::Control.
  
  Section::::Control.:Regulation of Nonpoint Source Pollution.
   Several common detergent ingredients are surfactants, builders, bleach-active compounds and auxiliary agents. The surfactants can be classified into anionic, cationic and nonionic surfactants. The most widely used surfactant linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) is an anionic surfactant. In builders, sodium triphosphate, zeolite A, sodium nitrilotriacetate (NTA) are the most important substances. Bleach-active compounds are usually sodium perborate and sodium percarbonate. Enzymes and fluorescent whitening agents are added into detergents as auxiliary agents.
  
  Section::::Mechanism.
  
  Section::::Mechanism.:Environmental harm of surfactants.
   Moreover, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prohibits disposing certain materials down any UVM drain. Including flammable liquids, liquids capable of causing damage to wastewater facilities (this can be determined by the pH), highly viscous materials capable of causing an obstruction in the wastewater system, radioactive materials, materials that have or create a strong odor, wastewater capable of significantly raising the temperature of the system, and pharmaceuticals or endocrine disruptors.
   Although Water Fed Pole (WFP) systems are meant to be safer than ladders, the Health and Safety Executive has said that they spill large amounts of water which either the window cleaner or their client could slip on.
  
  Section::::Ecology and water shortages.
   Toxic chemicals and contaminants, like motor oil, fuel, and industrial facility waste can enter the water system by storm water runoff. These chemicals, many of which can contain heavy metals, can enter the water system and coat the species present in the water. This can lead to death of the aquatic organisms which can cause increases in the amount of nutrients in the system from the decaying animals.
  
  Section::::Basis for controls and regulations.:Environment.:Sediment.
   Installing shut off valves on fuel pumps at a marina dock can help reduce the amount of spillover into the water. Additionally, pump-out stations that are easily accessible to boaters in a marina can provide a clean place in which to dispose of sanitary waste without dumping it directly into the water. Finally, something as simple as having trash containers around a marina can prevent larger objects entering the water.
  
  Section::::See also.
  
  BULLET::::- Agricultural nutrient runoff
  
  BULLET::::- Nonpoint source water pollution regulations in the United States
  
  BULLET::::- Stormwater
  
  BULLET::::- stochastic empirical loading and dilution model
   Water contamination usually occurs through a series of two mechanisms: point and non-point sources of pollution. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), point source pollution is "any single identifiable source of pollution from which pollutants are discharged, such as a pipe, ditch, ship or factory smokestack.” Therefore, among the most common examples of point source pollution, poor factory and sewage treatment appear high on the list; although not as frequent, but, nevertheless, equally—if not more—dangerous, oil spills are another famous example of point source of pollution. On the other hand, non-point sources of pollution are those that may come from different sources, among which, poor and badly monitored agricultural activities can negatively affect the quality of any nearby sources of water.
   Section::::Basis for controls and regulations.
  
  The basis for nonpoint source pollution regulation is the negative direct and indirect effects on both human health and the environment caused by the pollutants in NPS effluent.
  
  Section::::Basis for controls and regulations.:Human health.
  
  Human health is most directly affected when polluted water is ingested into the body. Nonpoint source pollution can often have toxic contaminants and chemicals present in the water. Additionally, there can be both bacteria and viruses (aka pathogens) found in the water.
  
  Section::::Basis for controls and regulations.:Human health.:Toxic contaminants and chemicals.
   In Canada, there is no law requiring manufactures to state the health and environmental hazards associated with their cleaning products. Many people buy such products to support a clean and healthy home, often unaware of the products ability to harm both their own health and the surrounding environment. "Canadians spend more than $275 million on household cleaning products in a year" Chemicals from these cleaners enter our bodies through air passageways and absorption through the skin and when these cleaning products are washed down the drain they negatively affect aquatic ecosystems. There are also no regulations in place stating that the ingredients be listed on labels of cleaning products leading the users to be ultimately unaware of the chemicals they expose themselves and their surrounding environments to.
   Many countries have banned the use of phosphates in detergent, including the European Union and the United States.
  
  Independent product testing noted that manufacturers reformulated their products after bans. Those reports indicated that the new products without phosphates were satisfactory.
  
  Section::::Regulation.
  
  States including Maine, Florida, and Indiana in the United States began restricting or banning the use of phosphates in laundry detergent in the early 1970s, culminating in a nationwide voluntary ban in 1994. In July 2010, 17 states followed up with bans on its use in automatic dishwasher detergent.
   The OLB and the Sewerage and Water Board, however, favored parallel protection for the Orleans Avenue and London Avenue outfall canals because they believed interior drainage would be inhibited when the gates were closed during a tropical event because water would not be able to escape from the canals and into Lake Pontchartrain. As interior drainage was not part of the federal authorization for hurricane protection, the OLB and the Sewerage and Water Board would be responsible for any costs associated with pump installation at the mouths of the outfall canals. The OLB and Sewerage and Water Board contended that parallel protection could provide increased hurricane storm surge protection while maintaining interior drainage.
   Drinking water does not represent a significant source of exposure in comparison to other sources such as food packing materials, cleaning products, and various skin care products. Concentrations of nonylphenol in treated drinking water varied from 85 ng/L in Spain to 15 ng/L in Germany.
  
  Microgram amounts of nonylphenol have also been found in the saliva of patients with dental sealants.
  
  Section::::Human health hazards.:Human exposure and breakdown.:Breakdown.
   Studies have revisited the question of whether existing household phosphate bans are effective in reducing phosphorus concentration in waterways, and subsequent algal blooms. A 2014 case study of Vermont phosphate policies around Lake Champlain showed that while the bans reduced the phosphate contribution by treated wastewater from households to five percent of the total contribution, algal blooms have still continued to worsen for other reasons.
   Section::::Mechanism.:Harm of builders to the environment.
  
  Builders in detergents are water softeners, which can remove calcium and magnesium ions by complexation or precipitation in a hard water (water contains a lot of calcium and magnesium).
   Safety considerations for electric drain cleaners include the requirement to wear work gloves and eye protection, to carefully control the cable during operation to avoid overstressing it, to use appropriate caution when working around rotating machinery, and to use properly grounded electrical outlets.
  
  Section::::Sewer jetters.
   Low-income communities and communities of color are more often at risk of being affected by pollution. It has also been evidenced that, "states conduct fewer regulatory enforcement actions in counties with higher levels of poverty." The Environmental Justice Coalition for Water expressed, in its comment on the rule, the need to "strengthen the categorical protections" to wetlands, to minimize flooding and support pollution remediation.
   Section::::Air pollution hotspots.:Wilmington, Los Angeles.
  
  Bonnoris noted, “The environmental justice movement posits that the distribution of environmental harms and benefits should be fairly apportioned among all communities”. As Bonnoris argued, the burden of air pollution is disproportionally distributed among communities based on their racial, social or economic status. Disproportion distribution of air pollution among communities can be a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution because it violates equal protection of residents’ public health.
   BULLET::::- If more than one plumbing fixture is clogged then electric drain cleaners, battery powered drain cleaners, sewer jetters or such mechanical devices are usually required to clear obstructions along the entire length of the drain piping system, that is, from fixture drain inlets through the main building drains and lateral piping outside the building to the collector sewer mains.
  
  Each type of drain cleaner has advantages, disadvantages, and safety considerations as described below.
  
  Section::::Chemical drain cleaners.
   The Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 contained provisions that made discharging refuse matter into navigable waters of the United States illegal without a permit issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The focus of the law was controlling obstructions to navigation, such as dumping refuse into rivers, and discharging oil from ships and boats. Most legal analysts have concluded that the 1899 law did not address environmental impacts from pollution, such as sewage or industrial discharges. However, there were several pollution enforcement cases in the 1960s and 1970s where the law was cited for broader pollution control objectives, prior to passage of the 1972 Clean Water Act.
   Point source water pollution is largely regulated through the Clean Water Act, which gives the EPA the authority to set limits on the acceptable amount of pollutants that can be discharged into waters of the United States. The 1972 law also created federal authority for a permit system—NPDES—to enforce the pollution standards. The Act broadly defines a pollutant as any type of industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste discharged into water, such as: dredged soil, solid waste, incinerator residue, sewage, garbage, sewage sludge, munitions, chemical wastes, biological materials, radioactive materials, heat, wrecked or discarded equipment, rock, sand, cellar dirt and industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste. Point source water pollution is discharged into waters through both direct and indirect methods.
   The "Working at Height Regulations" came into force in 2005 and does not ban ladders but merely restricts their use to safe methods, i.e. foot it by person or with a ladderstopper:
   During the late 19th century, there was little federal government attention paid to what were considered to be local environmental and health problems. The only federal legislation to address water pollution during this era was the Rivers and Harbors Act. In the 1899 Rivers and Harbors Act, Congress prohibited the dumping of "refuse"—debris that interfered with navigation—but other forms of pollution (e.g. sewage, food waste, chemical waste, oil spills) were not addressed in the law.
   The history of drain cleaners parallels the development of common drain systems themselves. As a result, there is not an extensive history of cleaners in the US, as municipal plumbing systems were not readily available in middle-class American homes until the early 20th century. Prior to this time, Americans often discarded the dirty water collected in basins after use. Limited piping systems gradually developed with lead materials, but after WWI when the poisonous properties of lead became more well-known, piping was reconstructed with galvanized iron.
  
presuppositions: Water with harmful things are directly consumed after they were washed down the drains.
corrections: Water with harmful things are treated rather than directly consumed after they were washed down the drains.
raw_presuppositions: Should be bad to wash soaps down the drain. Things that are considered harmful to us shouldn't be washed down the drain. Water with harmful things are directly consumed after they were washed down the drains.
raw_corrections: Water down the drain gets treated before being re used so it is safe. Things that are considered harmful to us can be washed down the drain if they're cleaned at a treatment plant later. Water with harmful things are treated rather than directly consumed after they were washed down the drains.