Keep toxins out of our water by buying biodegradable

Have you ever thought about what goes down your drains?

Besides water, toothpaste, hair dye, shampoo, soap, laundry detergent and bathroom and kitchen cleaners swim through your pipes and eventually end up in our waterways.

And if these products contain chemicals that don't neutralize into harmless compounds, there's a big ecological price to pay. For example, surfactants -- the stuff that makes solutions foam up and spread well -- found in some degreasers, disinfectants and cleaners breakdown into agents that can feminize fish, Adria Vasil reports in Ecoholic (Vintage Canada, 2007). Eek!

To help keep our waters and marine life healthier, choose personal care and cleaning products that are as chemical-free as possible and choose items that quickly biodegrade (the best products often have a certified biodegradable stamp on the bottle and state how long it takes to break down).