The Standards Org Stateanisation of Nigeria on Tuesday raided major shops in Jos and Bukuru towns in Plateau, confiscating detergents containing Sodium Thio Poly Phosphate, STPP.
STPP is said to be rich in phosphorus and nitrogen, and is harmful to aquatic life.
The state coordinator of SON, Mr. James Yakzum, who led the raid in Jos, said STPP is not only detrimental to aquatic life, it also causes an algae bloom.
This, Yakzum explained, prevents oxygen and sunlight from getting into water bodies, leading to the death of animals living in such water bodies, News Agency of Nigeria reports.
Yakzum further disclosed that STPP gets into the water bodies when people use such detergents to wash and clean at various places.
According to him, SON reviewed the standard for detergent production in 2018 and asked the manufacturers of detergents to desist from the using STPP and revert to the use of sodium phosphate.
He said that the organisation gave the manufacturers one-year ultimatum, which expired in 2019.
The state coordinator explained that aside STPP causing the deoxygenation of aquatic fauna by the production of the algae bloom, bacteria in the water due to the presence of the STPP produced cyanite.
“This is poisonous and highly detrimental to humans,’’ he said.
(NAN)
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