An industry association plans to try reducing the flow of phosphorus from automatic household dishwashers into watersheds.
The Canadian Consumer Specialty Products Association, which accounts for 86 percent of all such products sold in Canada, has agreed to begin looking for suitable substitutes.
Association president Shannon Coombs said the move will also harmonize standards on both sides of the border by 2010 because many jurisdictions in the United States and Canada are calling for measures aimed at reducing nutrient loading in rivers and lakes.
“We’re going to go down to 0.5 percent,” she said, adding the nutrient content of individual products is now 3.2 to 8.3 percent.
Substitutes will need to be developed to meet the 2010 deadline.
The voluntary phasing out of phosphorus content applies only to products used in automatic dishwashers. Hand-washing products are surfactant-based and do not contain phosphorus, she said. Phosphorus levels in laundry detergent are already regulated, she added.
