A very popular product of the coronavirus panic-purchasing gang, in addition to toilet paper, is wipes.
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KPC News reports that the mass sale of wipes has resulted in mass flushing of wipes, which is wreaking havoc on sewer systems everywhere.
Wastewater treatment officials told KPC News that even if the wipes say “flushable,” they are not. Nothing, they agreed, other than actual toilet paper, is flushable.
After going through the wastewater treatment process, many “flushable” wipes come out looking as good as new.
Wipes that are flushed down the toilet are causing overflows and sewage backups, and they’re getting caught in pumps and other equipment.
In the past five years alone, New York City has spent more than $18 million to deal with wipe-related equipment problems — and that was before the coronavirus came on the scene.
Wet wipes have always been popular with parents of babies and infants, but now adults are using them in place of toilet paper. Part of the allure is that some moist wipes claim to be flushable, making them convenient for bathroom use. But just because the company makes that claim, does not mean it’s true.
Sales of moist flushable wipes, especially in the last few weeks, have rocketed. But the manufacturing companies are now in hot water because wipes have also become notorious for clogging up sewer lines and costing municipalities millions each year. The wipes are also entering the environment, where they pose risks to wildlife.
Many people who live in rural areas with septic tanks know not to flush anything but what’s supposed to be flushed. Flushing anything but toilet paper, including wipes, paper towels, napkins —all things that do not dissolve in water — can clog and damage your home septic system and result in hefty repair bills, just like what happens with municipal systems.
When masses of people flush wipes of all kinds down the toilet, the wipes can combine with cooking grease and other debris to form massive “fatbergs.” It sounds funny, but no one was laughing as one 15-ton blob blocked London’s sewers in 2013. That fatberg was the size of a city bus and reduced the city’s sewer to just 5% of its normal capacity. If city officials had not discovered the fatberg, raw sewage may have soon started spurting out of manholes onto the streets and backing up into nearby businesses and homes.
OK, so maybe you don’t care about an English fatberg, but there’s another reason not to use wipes. Routinely using wet wipes on babies and children is linked to the rise in childhood food allergies because chemicals found in wet wipes can break down the top layer of skin, allowing the skin to absorb allergens that can trigger allergic reactions.
For your baby, just use mild soap, lukewarm water, a soft cloth and a light touch to avoid skin abrasions. If you have to use a wet wipe (we’ve all been there), be sure to wash off any residue with water before putting on another diaper. And throw, don’t flush, the wipe away.
For adults, using a bidet is as refreshing as a wet wipe and gentler than paper, and dramatically reduces the potential for fecal contamination of your hands.