Editor:
Two things caught my eye in the July 2 Coast Reporter. In the article about the Gambier Island fire truck, a resident is quoted as asking if the fire suppressant foam contains “chemicals” and the answer is that the foam is “environmentally friendly.” Of course the foam contains chemicals! Everything in the universe, including us, is made up of chemicals. The common misconception that all chemicals are “toxic” or “unnatural” is absurd. The water we drink, the food we eat, and the air we breathe are composed of chemicals.
The second item was in Gayle Neilson’s column (“Lessons from a bird listener”), where she reminds us to water plants with “waste” water during a drought, but cautions against using soapy dishwater. Since my mother used to maintain that soapy water was good for plants – and since I used dishwater on mine last time we had severe water restrictions – I decided to search the subject. Here is what a site called “The Gardening Channel” had to say:
“The next time you come up dry due to watering restrictions, consider using dishwater to keep your flowers and veggies from dying of thirst. The detergent residue in the water won’t hurt them... Just make sure your dish soap does not contain boron or bleach.” It also says don’t use bath water (presumably because it contains traces of human sewage). Other sites say to use soapy water sparingly, as too much might disturb the balance of the soil, and not to get it on the plants’ leaves. That last makes sense, as the recipe for non-toxic weed killer I use includes dish soap and it certainly shrivels the weeds’ leaves.
Anne Miles, Gibsons
