Ischronic detergent ingestion harmful tothegut

Synthetic detergents areusedinlarge quantities ashousehold andindustrial cleaners. Because ofthecommon practice ofleaving dishes washedindetergent solutions todrywithout rinsing these compounds areingested. We havecalculated that an adult takes inabout1mg/kg detergent adayandbabies canbeadministered between sevenand10mg/kg aday. Ratswerefed adoseof100mg/kg adayinapilot experiment andgrossabnormalities were foundinthegas- troiptestinal tract, themoststriking being subtotal villous atrophy ofthesmall bowelmucosa and glandular atrophy inthecolon. Thesechanges were notreversible 12weeksafter cessation of detergent administration. Thedevelopment ofsynthetic detergents 30years agorevolutionised cleaning processes. Thesecom- paratively cheapmaterials areusedinthemanufac- tureofwashing upliquids, bathoilsandfoams, shampoos, soappowders, andnumerousother household andindustrial cleaners. Itiscommon practice toleaveglasses, crockery, andeating implements todrywithacoating ofdetergent, and indeed somemanufacturers recommend this since thefluorescent additives causethemto"sparkle." Thesecompounds areinevitably ingested fromsuch implements. Feeding bottles forbabies areoften steeped instrong solutions ofdetergent andnot rinsed between feeds. Detergents havea potent effect oncellmem- branes. Atlowconcentration theyformcomplexes withbrushborder enzymes' andathigher concen- trations solubilise membranes byforming micelles withthelipid protein components.23 Theyhavepro- vided membrane biologists withauseful tool forthe study ofmembranecomponents invitro. Whatare theeffects ofthese substances invivo? We present a descriptive account oftheeffects ofchronic inges- tion ofsynthetic detergent onthemorphology ofthe gastrointestinal tract oftherat. Materials andmethods Sixfemale Wistar rats, litter matesofaverage weight 200g,werecagedtogether andfedastandard 41B diet. Thedrinking waterwasa 1% solution ofa househould detergent (Fairy Liquid: Proctor &