Why is zeolite dangerous for humans?

Clinoptilolite is a fractionated natural zeolite. Zeolites, as cation-type ion exchangers, are characterized by high ion-exchange selectivity for radioactive elements, sorption capacity for heavy non-ferrous metals (lead, cadmium, etc.), barium, phenol, ammonium nitrogen, nitrates and nitrites, 3,4 benzo(a)pyrene. Zeolite – a mineral of the clinoptilolite type, a class of aluminosilicates. Sorption filter media for deferrizers. Widely used to produce drinking water in household filters. It is a more effective analogue to quartz sand. The peculiarity of zeolite granules lies in their porosity structure. The porosity of zeolite is 16% higher than that of quartz sand. Backfill zeolite as a cation-exchange mineral it has high sorption properties. Quartz sand is an inert material. Zeolite for filter water treatment as a load has special heat and acid resistance. Like a sponge, zeolite granules absorb a range of different contaminants.

Removes from water:

• Heavy metals
• bacteria
• Viruses
• radioactive elements
• Phenol
• ammonium
• Nitrates
• Petroleum products
• Organic pollutants
• Ammonia
• Pesticides
• Pathogenic microorganisms
• Improves organoleptic properties of water

Additionally, zeolite for water purification reduces the concentration of chloride ions, fluoride ions, removes hardness salts and softens water.

The main cations that are absorbed by zeolite from liquids are:

Cs+. Pb+. K+. NH4+. Ag+. Cd2+. Pb2+. Zn2+. C2+. Hg2+. Ba2+. Sr2+. Ca2+. Mg2+. Co3+. Al3+. Cr3+. Fe3+.

The main gases that are absorbed by zeolite are:

Co. Co2.So2. Nh3. N 2.HCHO. Ar. O 2. He. Kr. Xe. CH3OH. Freon. Mercaptani. Formaldehyde.

The scope of application of zeolites is quite wide; they are used not only for water purification purposes. Zeolite filler does not harm the human body and has truly amazing properties.

Application:

• in medicine,
• construction,
• Food Industry,
• on livestock and crop farms,
• at water treatment facilities of nuclear power plants for post-treatment of wastewater from radioactive elements,
• for softening water in power plant boilers,
• for soil reclamation,
• for the duration of the filter cycle in swimming pools,
• for purifying domestic wastewater from nitrogenous compounds,
• for wastewater purification from iron, cobalt, magnesium, calcium, copper, cadmium, zinc, nickel and other metals,
• for cleaning household and industrial wastewater from organic and inorganic compounds.

Loading zeolite Particularly effective for purifying wastewater from nitrogen-containing elements.

It is used to load iron removers and demanganize water when the concentration of nitrogenous compounds is exceeded together with Sorbent AC and Sorbent MS.

During production, zeolite granules are dried to remove excess moisture, which can be more than 20%. When using zeolite, the filter cycle is 5 times larger in comparison with quartz sand backfill, which significantly reduces the consumption of water for washing and electricity.

Advantages:

• Improving technological filtration parameters: the filtration speed for zeolite is 7-9 m/hour (for quartz – 5-7 m/hour), the filter cycle increases by 4-16 hours, the water consumption for washing the filter layer decreases by 10-30%, the rate of decrease in the filtration speed is less;

• High sorption capacity of zeolite for algae and microorganisms: Excessive concentration of ammonia in water is dangerous for the inhabitants of water bodies and causes rapid proliferation of algae. For biological contaminants, the cleaning efficiency using zeolites is 30-80% greater than using quartz;

• Providing protection from radionuclides and heavy metal salts (for decontamination work): significant cation exchange, and a feature is high selectivity towards large ions (Rb+, Cs+, Sr++, Hg++). The exchange constants of Na+ ions of zeolites of the clinoptilolite subgroup for Rb+, Cs+, Sr++, Hg++ ions are in the range of 30-63 mEq/g.

Chemical composition, in terms of oxide:

• Silicon – 67,5%
• Aluminum – 12%
• Calcium – 2,9%
• Potassium – 2,8%
• Iron – 1,27%
• Sodium – 1,0%
• Magnesium – 0,5%

Features:

• Specific gravity, t/m3: 2,16-2,38
• Bulk weight, t/m3: 0,9-1,1
• Porosity,%: 18-26
• Grindability,%: 0,4
• Abrasion,%: 0,4
• Conditional mechanical strength,%: 0,70
• Washing intensity, l s/m2: 12-14
• Washing time, min: 4-6
• Total dynamic ion exchange capacity, mEq/g for ammonium ion – 0,65
• Operating up to an ammonium ion concentration in the filtrate of 0,5 mg/l, mEq/g – 0,22
• Regeneration is carried out with a solution of sodium chloride (2-10%).
• The specific consumption of the regenerating solution can be 1,2-1,5 m3/l of loading.

Produced fractions:

• 0,3-0,7;
• 0,7-1,5;
• 1,5-3,0

Application by fractions:

• 0-0,14 – in the production of paper, rubber, paints, plastics, container carriers for bactericidal fertilizers, in medicine (dental, infectious, skin diseases), in everyday life;
• 0-1 – soil fertilization, composition of mixtures, compound feeds, seed preservation, landscape, decontamination and environmental protection;
• 1-4 – purification of drinking water, wells, wastewater, gas purification, air drying, oil regeneration, decontamination of toxic substances and bacteriological substances;
• 3-5, 5-10, 10-20 – purification of drinking water, reservoirs, wastewater

Packaging:

• packaging volume: 25 l
• package weight: 25 kg

Zeolite for filtration is necessary and beneficial:

1. Zeolite has a colossal adsorption effect when purifying drinking water at water distillation and wastewater treatment plants in cities, enterprises, and in everyday life
2. Wastewater treatment of cities and enterprises
3. Decontamination of radio waste, garbage dumps, industrial pollution, elimination of the consequences of environmental disasters
4. Cleaning and reclamation of land, land reclamation, application to the soil independently, in composts, prolongation of the action of fertilizers. Increases productivity by 20-30%
5. Cleaning polluted water bodies, spawning grounds of small and large rivers from toxic substances and greenery
6. Filtration of the upper aquifer in water wells
7. Replacing phosphates with zeolites in washing powders

Washing is an integral part of our daily life. Usually we don’t even think about what a detergent consists of. And when purchasing, we focus only on the popularity of the brand and the inscriptions on the packaging. But in vain, because the powders can contain things that can make you itch, blush and sneeze. Manufacturers add harmful and dangerous components to many laundry products that can cause skin irritation, allergies and other problems. So, let’s look inside the packaging of the powder and find out what zeolites do in washing powder, the harm and benefits of surfactants, phosphates and phosphonates.

Zeolites in washing powder: harm and benefit

Zeolites are considered one of the safe additives in detergents. The use of zeolites in washing powders began about 25 years ago in order to replace phosphates that are harmful to humans. They are minerals with sorbent properties. And, like activated carbon, they “pull” dirt out of clothes. In nature, there are more than 40 types of zeolites, formed under certain conditions from volcanic or bottom sea rocks. Natural zeolites are absolutely safe and are even added to eco-powders; they are listed under the word zeolith in the composition. Let’s look at the benefits and harms of zeolites.

Benefits of zeolites

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These minerals are useful in the following:

• reduce water hardness;
• safe for the environment;
• used as a liquid cleaner;
• Water with natural zeolites is healthy and contains many microelements necessary for humans. This liquid is widely used – you can bathe small children in it, drink it, and use it for cosmetic procedures. And also feed indoor and garden plants, use as aquarium water.

Harm of zeolites

BUT! There are synthetic zeolites, that is, created artificially by chemists. That’s why they pose a danger. More than a hundred types of them have been invented, and in the powder they are designated as zeolith A, X, or Y. Their disadvantages are as follows:

• They wash poorly and are not completely washed out of clothes. Due to this feature, powder manufacturers need to add more surfactants. But they are very harmful to human health;
• due to their abrasive properties, some parts of the washing machine wear out faster;
• contribute to an increase in dust in the powder; when used, dust particles enter the air and are inhaled by us, which, of course, is not good and can cause irritation of the nasal mucosa and allergies;
• remain in treatment facilities and from there can enter water bodies.

If we talk about natural zeolites, they, of course, do not pose a danger to humans. But their synthetic analogues are best avoided. Most powders contain much more terrible ingredients – phosphates and phosphonates.

Zeolites and phosphates

Phosphates (or sodium tripolyphosphate) are synthetic detergents and have a very adverse effect on the human body. They are a compound of sodium, phosphoric acid, potassium or calcium. The phosphate content in detergent can reach 60%. And the more there is, the worse it is for us. In some countries around the world this chemical is completely banned. Russia has more lenient laws in this regard, and powder manufacturers generously flavor their products with this poison. This is because phosphates have good cleaning ability. And this is the main condition for the powder and large volumes of its sales. But the safety of the detergent is also important. And here’s how these synthetic additives can harm us:

• increase the toxicity of surfactants;
• they are very poorly washed out of clothing and penetrate through it into the skin and blood, disrupting the functioning of cells;
• Harm the environment by getting into rivers through sewage treatment plants and becoming a fertilizer for algae, thereby stimulating their growth. This can cause fish and other marine life to die in water bodies;
• upon contact with the skin, they make it dry and vulnerable to the external environment. As a result, the protective functions of the dermis are reduced, and the risk of dust, dirt, bacteria and viruses entering it increases;
• capable of lowering hemoglobin and thinning the blood;
• A negative effect on the blood can result in problems with the liver, kidneys, muscles and bones.

Based on the above, we conclude that we do not need powders with phosphates in the house. They are harmful, toxic and extremely dangerous.

The environmental literacy of the population is constantly increasing. Quite a lot of people know about the dangers of phosphates and do not buy detergents containing them. Manufacturers also do not stand still and try to minimize harm by replacing phosphates with phosphonates, claiming that they are harmless. But this is not entirely true.

Phosphonates in washing powders

Phosphonates are phosphorus compounds with the addition of carbon. They are classified as organophosphorus – they are designed to soften water and remove dirt. The industrial name for phosphonates is tetrasodium etidronate. This is the marking you should look for in a soap, detergent or powder. Just like zeolites, several dozen types of phosphonates have been created. Some are safe, while others are poisonous and are often used in pesticides. Under certain conditions, phosphonates can turn into phosphates and then become dangerous. The advantage of these esters is that they are added to the powder much less than phosphates. Therefore, they are less dangerous and also harm the environment less than phosphates.

What is a surfactant in washing powder

The main components of any detergent, be it powder or dishwashing gel, are surfactants, abbreviated as surfactants. They belong to synthetic chemical compounds and are responsible for softening water and removing contaminants. Research on these chemical additives took place back in the 60s of the XNUMXth century. Scientists have found that they are extremely aggressive and can harm human health, for example:

• disrupt the functioning of the immune system and metabolic processes in the human body;
• provoke allergies;
• when accumulated in the body in large quantities, it affects the cells of the liver, brain, kidneys and lungs;
• do not rinse out of clothes and through it penetrate into us and cause harm. The worst way to remove surfactants is from cotton, wool and half-woolen products, remaining in them for a long time and in contact with the skin;
• a dangerously high content of these substances remains on clothing for 4 days, this time is enough to cause poisoning of the body;
• harm water bodies, causing them to become overgrown with algae, which leads to river pollution and deterioration in the quality of drinking water.

Surfactant powders should not contain more than 7%, and in many European countries they are prohibited by law and are not even added to car detergents.

Zeolites in washing powder, harm and benefit – summing up

The scientific community has proven that 100 grams of surfactants can kill an adult horse in XNUMX hours. Phosphates, combining with surfactants, remain in the fabric after washing, penetrate the skin and accumulate in the body. Who knows what health problems this influence can lead to; doctors often fail to find out the causes of many chronic and sudden diseases in humans. A good powder should not contain synthetic flavors, phosphates, chlorine, ammonia, sulfates, boron, phosphonates, or surfactants. Therefore, you need to carefully choose your laundry detergent – this way you will preserve the health of yourself and your family.