Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

Muncie4 t1_iubk162 wrote

Reply to comment by alv51 in What bed sheets are comfortable and last? by GardeningCrashCourse

Can we stop using toxic when we don't understand toxicology please? I've yet to pick up a paper and read, "Man dies from Bounce use". Don't like fabric softeners due to *.reason? Great! Don't use them. But don't sound the Horn of Helm's Deep like the stuff is toxic when it ain't.

5

alv51 t1_iucjfy5 wrote

I agree actually, it’s definitely overused - however there are studies linking synthetic detergents and softeners (maybe not specifically the scents in them but nevertheless) to carcinogenic ingredients. I’ll try and link one here later if I can find it.

But even more than that it is well known that they are extremely damaging to the environment for several reasons, when compared to plain soap or milder, biodegradable cleaners, (killing microorganisms and destroying biodiversity; surfactants causing foaming in rivers and leading to long term damage; changing the ph in soil and water; inorganic phosphates causing eutrophication which depletes oxygen in water; they don’t properly biodegrade, causing maximum long term pollution of soil, rivers and water sources;), so in that case they are far worse than what we might commonly use the word toxic for.

3