For many years, the use of phosphates in laundry detergents was responsible for making clothes appear far more “white” than they really were. Large ad campaigns throughout the second half of the 20th century re-enforced the notion that whiter laundry was cleaner laundry. In fact, this supposedly cleaner laundry was impregnated with chemical additives during the wash process in an effort to fool consumers with an optical illusion.
Since phosphates are not a direct threat to human health, this wouldn’t be of concern except that it also happens to be a fertilizer – one that is most often lacking for the growth of algae, seaweeds and other lower level marine plant life. This causes algal blooms that in turn lower the oxygen content of waters, kill fish and encourage dangerous organisms to spread though the weakened marine populations, sometimes becoming a major threat to human health and welfare.
