Ingredient Safety Information
Phosphonates
Phosphonates have a wide application in detergents, because they prevent precipitation of calcium salts, stabilize per-oxybleaches and prevent scale build-up. In combination with Zeolite, they play a major role in phosphate-free or low-phosphate detergents.
Phosphonates are highly water soluble, non volatile and highly sorptive chemicals.
Acute toxicity data for Fish and Daphnia are above 100 mg/L. For algae, toxicity is more pronounced with EC50 > 2 mg/L due to an indirect effect on nutrients (binding effect) in the test solutions. Under natural conditions, this effect is expected to be negligible.
Phosphonates are not readily biodegradable but have been shown to be inherently biodegradable. There is however one alternative chelator which is biodegradable, called SS-EDDS
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Phosphonates are highly water soluble, non volatile and highly sorptive chemicals.
Acute toxicity data for Fish and Daphnia are above 100 mg/L. For algae, toxicity is more pronounced with EC50 > 2 mg/L due to an indirect effect on nutrients (binding effect) in the test solutions. Under natural conditions, this effect is expected to be negligible.
Phosphonates are not readily biodegradable but have been shown to be inherently biodegradable. There is however one alternative chelator which is biodegradable, called SS-EDDS
read more on this ingredient.
Read more, ingredient info sheet
(PDF file)Put into filesafe
Some Publications by P&G Scientists
- W.E. Gledhill et T.C.J. Feijtel (1992). Environmental Properties and Safety Assessment of Organic Phosphonates Used for Detergent and Water Treatment Applications. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry 3 (F), 261-285.
- J. Jaworska, H. Van Genderen-Takken, A. Hanstveit, E. van de Plassche et T. Feijtel (2002). Environmental Risk Assessment of Phosphonates, used in Domestic Laundry and Cleaning Agents in the Netherlands Chemosphere, volume 47, 655-665.
- D. Schowanek, W. Verstraete (1990). Phosphonate utilization by bacterial cultures and enrichments from environmental samples Applied and Environmental Microbiology 56 (4), 895-903.
- D. Schowanek, D. McAvoy, D. Versteeg, A. Hanstveit. Effects of Nutrient Trace Metal Speciation on Algal Growth in the Presence of the Chelator [S,S]-EDDS. Aquatic Toxicology, 36, 253-275, 1996.
