Sorry, flushable wipes… aren’t flushable (video)

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18, 2015 — Flushable wipes have become increasingly popular with people who want that fresh feeling when they wipe their bottoms. But why do these wipes have wastewater managers and septic tank owners cringing? Trouble is, flushable wipes … aren’t exactly flushable. And the answer comes down to chemistry. Lauren Wolf explains in this week’s Speaking of Chemistry: https://youtu.be/9et8ZHWJhAE.

Speaking of Chemistry is a production of Chemical & Engineering News, a weekly magazine of the American Chemical Society. The program features fascinating, weird and otherwise interesting chemistry topics. Subscribe to the series at http://bit.ly/CENOnline and follow us on Twitter @CENMag.