Flushable wipes that come with health warning for fish
TESCO was criticised by environmentalists yesterday over its ‘flushable’ wet wipes that come with a warning that they are harmful to aquatic life.
Campaigners say many of the wipes end up in rivers and the sea via the sewage system.
Although the retailer says the warning is simply a legal requirement as the wipes do not pose a risk once they are in water, there were still calls for them to be removed from sale.
While some wet wipes claim to be flushable, water companies say the term is misleading as synthetic wipes often do not break down quickly enough in water. The Tesco cleaning wipes contain methylisothiazolinone, which the packet says ‘may produce an allergic reaction’.
environmentalist group the Green Dream Foundation said: ‘ It actually says on the back “harmful to aquatic life”. And they are flushable! Where do they think the wipes will end up?’
A Tesco spokesman said: ‘This warning is a legal requirement and it’s on a number of household products. The wipes aren’t harmful to aquatic life after they’ve been flushed but we’re working with our supplier to change the ingredients.’