Would you drink a glass of detergent water? Crazy question right? Not really. That’s pretty much what you are doing now anyways. By tossing one little spoon of detergent powder in the washing machine, you are releasing into the environment additional chemicals that will eventually find their way back into your drinking water and your own body. Just look at our froth, foaming Bangalore lakes, writhing in fiery discomfort. There’s a heavy price to be paid for that clean white shirt. Detergents contain surfactants, the suds-makers that actually damage our immune system. Among other harmful chemicals that detergents carry are phosphates, ammonia, naphthalene, phenol, optical brighteners, and artificial fragrances. No, this is not about predicting doomsday, or talking about the #1 reason for people to fall ill: heck, road accidents cause more deaths in India than anything else. But it is true that our bodies, water and the environment are being bombarded with chemicals. And we can certainly have less of that.