CLEANER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, NOT FOR DISHES

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/19/science/earth/19clean.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=environment&st=cse

This article was written by Mireya Navarro on September 18, 2010. It can be found on the New York Times website.

The article deals with household detergents, dishwasher in particular, and the effects they have on the environment. It also talks about the changes that have been made in the ingredients of dishwasher detergents. The ingredients of the cleaner include a large amount of phosphate which is meant to keep spots off of the dishes. However, although the phosphates make dishes look good, they are know to damage the environment in some situations. The detergent company, Cascade, reduced the phosphate level from 8.7% to 0.5% in accordance with laws that went into affect in 17 states. The first bias that I noticed in the article occurred when the author wrote about the effect of phosphate in the environment. The author says that large phosphate levels in lakes cause algae to overgrow. Algae overgrowth then causes fish to die because it takes away living space and reduces the amount of oxygen. Although phosphate might affect lake ecosystems, it is beneficial in many other ecosystems. Phosphate fertilizes plants and reduces the need for artificial fertilizers. In ecosystems where plant life is minimal, this large amount of phosphate released into the environment from detergents would be beneficial. The bias produced by the author is most likely directed to improve the sustainability of lake ecosystems. The article is clearly against the use of phosphates in dishwasher detergents. Although the author is against the use of phosphates, she is pro-environmental because she is frustrated with the effects of phosphate run-off in lakes and streams.

The article refers to I. Earth systems and resources C. Global Water Resources And Use. The article also refers to VI. Pollution A. Pollution Types 3. Water Pollution.