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New Research Shows that with No-Flush Urinals, It's not Just the Odor that Remains Behind

Labor and Environmental Organizations Warn that Product Marketed as Water-Saver Poses Risks to Public Health

**News Release for Thursday, November 17, 2005**

SACRAMENTO - New research submitted today at a hearing on whether non-flush urinals, also known as waterless urinals, will be approved for use in California showed that the product, widely marketed to environmentalists as a water-saver, poses serious risks to public health and the environment.

The research was authored by Dr. Phyllis Fox, Ph.D., P.E., QEP, DEE, an expert on issues relating to sanitary engineering, air quality and environmental engineering whose former clients include the Sierra Club. Dr. Fox's comments were in response to the manufacturer's appeal of a nearly unanimous decision by the body that drafts the Uniform Plumbing Code not to allow widespread use of non-flush urinals based on serious sanitary, public health and environmental concerns. The appeal was heard by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials ("IAPMO") Standards Council.

"Based on the research, non-flush urinals appear to be a product that may harm our health and environment more than help it," said AJ Napolis of Communities for a Better Environment, an organization that submitted comments opposing the products. "There is a risk to people who use non-flush urinals and clean non-flush urinals."

Sewer gases pose serious risks to public health from toxic gases including hydrogen sulfide (H2S), methane, carbon dioxide and ammonia, and also from airborne pathogens including tuberculosis, dysentery, rotavirus, common cold, hepatitis A, typhoid and SARS. The incidence of diarrhea, cholera, diphtheria, and dysentery increased four-fold after toilets were moved indoors, due primarily to the unsanitary conditions of these fixtures.

In response, toilets were redesigned and plumbing codes were developed, including mandatory water flushing to remove waste products from the fixture walls and a permanent water seal built to keep sewer gases out.

"The no-flush urinal ignores hard-learned lessons on sanitation and reverses over a century of practice by failing to provide consistent cleaning of the urinal wall and replacing the permanent seal with one that has to be changed every 30 to 90 days," wrote Dr. Fox in her comments.

For example, wall washing reduces bacteria counts by 100 times, but non-flush urinals don't wash the urinal walls between each use at all, allowing dangerous bacteria and viruses to remain behind for each new user. The lack of wall washing is believed to contribute to the odor problems that have been frequently reported for non-flush urinals. Schools, local governments, airports, and other users across California and across the nation that have experimented with non-flush urinals have had to have them removed due to uncontrollable odor problems.

"The pipe trades have a long standing commitment to environmental, health and safety standards," said Ted Reed of the California State Pipe Trades Council. "As Californians, we are also very concerned about water conservation. But this research shows that non-flush urinals are not the solution to California's water problems. In fact they jeopardize sanitary protections for Californians. There are other devices that can save far more water than non-flush urinals without threatening public health."

Other concerns include:

• At least one manufacturer of non-flush urinals for many years used the toxic chemical pesticide chloroxylenol in its cartridge trap. Chloroxylenol is highly toxic to fish and is not biodegradable. Although the manufacturer has voluntarily removed the chemical from the trap seal fluid, the same manufacturer is seeking code revisions that would allow it again to use chloroxylenol or other toxic chemicals in the sealant fluid.
• Like a short-lived battery, the "bell trap" in waterless urinals has to be changed every 30 to 90 days. Each change creates the potential for deadly sewer gases, foul odors, bacteria and viruses to enter the bathroom from the sewer system. Failed drain traps helped fuel the spread of SARS in Asia.
• The non-flush urinal trap cartridges cost up to $42 each. Replacing cartridges on a medium-sized restroom with 12 urinals could cost up to $500 per month or $6000 per year. This is a high-enough price that some landlords are likely to either change the cartridges less frequently than necessary, or remove the costly cartridges completely, resulting in little or no protection against hazardous sewer gases.

"For these reasons, no-flush urinals have the potential to result in hydrogen sulfide concentrations that exceed the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment chronic toxicity inhalation guidelines," explained Dr. Fox.

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