I was checking some of the info I could on this. One thing that caught my eye was that it needs the agents in soil to decompose or whatever. So washing up with it in a lake it does not boidegrade. And non biodegradable soaps may take longer or not really degrade at all. I've always known it takes a fair amount of time to break down. So I thought I'd share as a reminder to try and use biodegradable soaps and to use it a desired distance from any water source. Would love to know how dawn dish soap Falls. I know it's not biodegradable, but even if it really breaks down.

Not sure how accurate this is. Dawn soap

Opposing viewpoint: Dawn soap not bioodegradable

You guys take soap?

quote rtallent: "You guys take soap?"

Only for dishes. :-)

They use Dawn and other dishwashing liquids to clean oil off of wildlife after an oil spill.

You need to read the ingredient list. Every liquid soap and shampoo I’ve bought, regardless of its market claims, has Sodium lauryl sulfate as its main ingredient. It is also the main ingredient in Dawn. That chemical quickly biodegrades. Anti bacterial ingredients that are toxic to aquatic life such as triclosan and triclocarban are SO slow to decay (with a half life of months) that they tend to accumulate in soils and waterways.

The article I read pretty much said nothing breaks down or biodegrades in water. It may delute, but stays there. We always said the solution to pollution is dilution. With 250,000 campers using the bw each year, I could see it being a problem. They clean oil off ducks and such on oil spills with Dawn, but not in the waterways. And yes some ingredients even in Dawn are biodegradable, but not all ingredients are typically. And only when in soils with proper properties does it biodegrade. Just thought a reminder to be careful around our waterways.

Ben if they didn’t most wastewater treatment plants in America would be releasing unchanged soaps in their effluent. Or in the case of "nothing breaks down in water" it would mean we are releasing unchanged sewage. Maybe the article meant that whichever ingredient they were talking about breaks down more slowly without the soil microbes. Or else there is that saying "don’t believe everything you read on the internet..." : )

Plenty of products are available in your natural foods stores.

Here is some scientific information to help set the record straight regarding the biodegradability of soaps and detergents (they are different)

Soaps, like bar soap are made from sodium salts of fatty acids and as such are totally biodegradable. It helps the degradation process if the fatty acid has an even number of carbon atoms. The reason soaps don't work well as a cleaning agent in hard water is that they form calcium and magnesium salts pretty much as soon as they hit the water. These salts are insoluable and precipitate out quickly. This is what causes the soap scum on a bathtub, and why soaps are not used for things like dish washing and clothes washing. For a true soap to work in hard water, you have to use enough soap to exceed the concentration of the calcium and magnesium ions that form the insoluable salts.

So, instead, detergents are used, which do not form the insoluable salts that precipitate out. Detergents are NOT soaps, the chemical structure is different than for soaps, and I won't go into the differences here, but suffice it to say, that in the United States, it is illegal to manufacture and sell any detergent that is not biodegradable (also, they can not contain phosphates) most use sulfates instead.

Microbial organisms can utilize both soaps and detergents as a food source, hence that's how they breakdown.

If they were not biodegradable then our waterways, into which all sewage treatment plants discharge would look like they used to before the legal requirements that all soaps and detergents be biodegradable. Back before that time many rivers were covered in large "soap bubbles". I was truly disgusting.

There's a company out of St.Louis "Cheryl's Herbs" they have the cleanest liquid soap I've been able to find hands down. I work in the Natural Foods/ Health industry as an advisor to companies and have researched ingredients for years. Currently I'm working with a group that's looking to take products from the natural market to the outdoor market. Specifically products that would be bio-degradeable and have minimum impact on our waterways. I won't mention there name as to not cause issues within BWCA.com but we will have test products available this fall, and will be sending samples to folks whom have interest in water based sports as yourselves.

Good info...

So what about this methylisothiazolinone I was reading about that is in Dawn that is supposedly harmful to environment?

My wife, a chemical engineer, worked on Dawn several years ago. She helped bring Dawn concentrate to market. She would have to take a fresh look at it to provide "up to date" knowledge. But, in general all soaps are biodegradable. One thing she pointed out is that Dawn is the best and it requires very little to do the job. Because of that, it may have the least impact. I know that we just use just 2-3 drops to do the dishes.

I'm a fan of Dr Bronner's. A few drops go a long ways. And if it's raining you can read the label for entertainment.

"Made with organic oils and all-natural ingredients, Dr. Bronner's organic liquid soap is ideal for camping because it is biodegradable and gentle on the environment."

I use the Sea to Summit soap and just carry a small eye dropper bottle (1oz) of it as I only use a drop or two for dishes on a small piece of sponge.

quote BigCurrent: "I'm a fan of Dr Bronner's. A few drops go a long ways. And if it's raining you can read the label for entertainment.

"Made with organic oils and all-natural ingredients, Dr. Bronner's organic liquid soap is ideal for camping because it is biodegradable and gentle on the environment." "

Yes! We do, too!

We find it right at our local grocery. Cub Foods has it.

Dr. Bronners for me. I like the tea tree variety ,