§ Mr. Priorasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what investigations have taken place to discover the degree of toxicity in synthetic detergent foam blown on to grasslands or crops grazed by cattle; and whether he is aware of the effect on grass of the deposit of such foam.
§ Mr. BrookeI am not aware of anything toxic in the foam from synthetic detergents, or anything which would harm grazing cattle. There has been extensive research and experiment into these matters in the U.S.A., and the results seem to admit of no doubt.
That does not mean that the foam from this source is not a nuisance, and indeed my Standing Technical Committee is doing all that it can to see how detergents can be improved from this point of view. I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of its latest progress report.
§ Mr. Priorasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he is aware that manufacturers include in synthetic detergents a foam stabilising substance which is responsible for nuisance in domestic plumbing, sewage works, rivers and canals receiving treated sewage, and users of such waterways; and, in view of the damage caused, if he will consult with manufacturers with a view to banning their use.
§ Mr. BrookeMy Standing Technical Committee on Synthetic Detergents expressed the view, in its Second Progress Report, a copy of which I am sending to my hon. Friend, that it was unlikely that any significant quantities of foam stabilisers would normally be present in treated effluents or river water. There have been few cases of nuisance in domestic plumbing, and these have been remedied with little difficulty. In these circumstances, I see no cause for taking the special action suggested.