VICKY COLLINS, Environment Correspondent

March 07 2005

A public warning about chemicals from domestic cleaning products polluting Loch Lomond was withdrawn by Scotland's environmental watchdog after complaints from the detergents industry. Documents obtained by The Herald under the Freedom of Information Act suggest a lack of independence on the part of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, which rejected the views of some of its own scientists in pulling the leaflet.

Campaigners and experts say it raises questions over whether Sepa is sufficiently robust in the face of pressure from an industry it is designed to police. Sepa's warning leaflet was drawn up to tackle the build-up of phosphates in Loch Lomond, Scotland's best-known natural asset. The chemical is used in some brands of household detergents such as washing powder and dishwasher tablets. The leaflet called on locals to avoid using these products.

If allowed to continue unchecked, the build-up can lead to excessive growths of algae, which can be so toxic they can kill animals and cause illness in people. Even small growths do serious damage to the loch, potentially starving fish of oxygen and changing the ecology of the waters.

However, last summer Sepa pulled the leaflet just days after receiving a complaint from a representative of the detergents industry. Six months later, it has still to be reissued and Sepa's redraft of the leaflet Do a Little, Save the Loch is now being based in part on advice from a paid consultant to the detergents industry.

His role began at a meeting in October ? during which Sepa says no minutes were taken. The industry disputed the leaflet's claim that washing powder typically contained 30% phosphates and that washing-up liquid was another potential source. It also claimed it wrongly implied detergents were a major cause of a build-up of phosphorus in the loch, saying fertiliser was a far greater factor.

However, Sepa's own scientist rejected much of this case, pointing out a number of washing powders do break the 30% figure. Other experts are unsure of the role of washing-up liquid and say farms around the loch are mainly used for raising livestock and do not use significant amounts of phosphate fertiliser.

Dan Barlow, head of research at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: "Questions must be asked as to how much influence industry has over what is meant to be Scotland's independent pollution watchdog. Where else is Sepa action being driven by the demands of those it is supposed to be regulating? "It seems as if Sepa is being made to jump through an ever increasing number of hoops by the detergent industry to get this leaflet reissued."

Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife and Green speaker on the environment, said: "It is no secret that the influence of big business on the environment and organisations who work to protect the environment is too powerful."

Sepa said the new version of the leaflet was now close to completion. A spokesman said yesterday: "Sepa accepted that some data in this leaflet was out of date so temporarily withdrew it and initiated further consultation with both internal and external parties, including the UK Cleaning Products Industry Association.

"Following some useful input, we are in the process of redrafting this leaflet and will reissue it in 2005, but the message remains the same: use cleaning products which have a lower phosphorus content."