Which element in detergent is most responsible for pollution in rivers and fresh water lakes?

Question

Which element in detergent is most responsible for pollution in rivers and fresh water lakes?

Answer 1

Not really an element but a type of compound...Phosphates

Answer 2

Chlorophyll

Answer 3

Phosphorus.

Why? Because it is known as a 'limiting' nutrient for aquatic algal growth. Excess P means excess algae, which when they die, are decomposed by oxygen consuming bacteria. Excess P leads to increased bacterial oxygen demand and ultimately depletes levels of dissolved oxygen. There are other deleterious impacts as well....

Answer 4

Nitrates

Answer 5

Phosphorus!

Answer 6

Phosphorous and phosphates.

In ecological terms, because of its important role in biological systems, phosphate is a highly sought after resource. Consequently, it is often a limiting reagent in environments, and its availability may govern the rate of growth of organisms. Addition of high levels of phosphate to environments and to micro-environments in which it is typically rare can have significant ecological consequences. For example, booms in the populations of some organisms at the expense of others, and the collapse of populations deprived of resources such as oxygen (see eutrophication). In the context of pollution, phosphates are a principal component of total dissolved solids, a major indicator of water quality.

Basically, what this means is that the phosphates from our detergents are often responsible for algal blooms as well as lower light penetration into the water systems in question.  These two events combine to lower the oxygen in the system and literally choking out the flora and fauna.