[August 15, 2010] BRIEF: State banning phosphorus in detergent, fertilizer Tweet ALBANY, Aug 15, 2010 (Niagara Gazette - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- A new law to improve water quality in New York makes it illegal for stores to stock fresh supplies of household dishwashing detergents that contain phosphorus. Retailers have 60 days to sell old inventories. Sales for commercial use end July 1, 2013. Starting in 2012, a similar ban will apply to lawn fertilizers. Environmental officials say phosphorus drains into New York lakes and rivers and turns green with algae, degrading drinking water and reducing oxygen that fish need. More than 100 bodies of water in New York are considered impaired, including Cayuga Lake and Lake Champlain. Sixteen other states have similar bans, and many detergent-makers now use low-phosphate formulas. To see more of the Niagara Gazette or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.niagara-gazette.com/. Copyright (c) 2010, Niagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com, e-mail [email protected], or call 866-280-5210 (outside the United States, call +1 312-222-4544). [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]