In the late 1950s and the 1960s in the United States, lakes, rivers and sewage treatment plants experienced foam formation, caused by synthetic laundry detergents that were highly resistant to chemical breakdown. Now, by law, the lathering agent of all detergents on the market must be biodegradable. They, therefore, quickly lose their ability to cause foaming and are unable to produce long-lasting foam. We need similar regulations in India, i.e. the surfactants in detergents must be biodegradable. It is the phosphorus in detergents entering wastewater which hugely promotes the growth of water plants. Phosphorus is useful for agriculture, but it is directly responsible for choking our surface waters with aquatic vegetation. It is also indirectly responsible for forming huge rafts of foam, which get stabilised by rotting vegetation on the lake bottom.