LONDON: Certain fragrances widely used in soaps, detergents, shampoos and many other personal hygiene products may potentially contaminate the environment, a pioneering new study on the canals of Venice has found.
Researchers, including those at the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice in Italy, have been investigating the canals to look for traces of these molecules which are referred to as ‘perfumes’ in the ingredients of products that we use daily.
Soaps, detergents, shampoos and many other personal hygiene products contain mixtures of ‘odorous’ molecules that have passed safety tests for human health with little or nothing known about their impact on the environment.
Between April and December last year, scientists repeatedly collected water samples from 22 places between the inner canals in the historic centre of Venice, the island of Burano and at two points in the far-north lagoon.
They were looking for the presence of 17 fragrances among the most used and chemically stable between the thousands available to the cosmetics industry.
Samples collected during conditions of low tide in Venice and Burano showed concentrations comparable to those of untreated waste water. (AGENCIES)
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