Evaluation of the Disintegration Properties of Flushable Products

Abstract

Products labeled as “flushable” have been manufactured and sold in Japan, Europe, and the United States, and they have rapidly become popular due to their convenience of use. These products have two international standards: one was established by the international sewage authorities, and the other was established by the organizations of European and American manufacturers. However, these standards have not yet been applied in Japan, and work is still in progress. This study, while considering the problem of the arrangement for international standardization, verified the disintegration of products according to international sewage authoritiesʼ standards（IWSFG PAS(cid:9875)）and Japanese toilet paper standards（JIS P (cid:9876)(cid:9877)(cid:9872)(cid:9873)）and evaluated the products using the two test methods. As a result, flushable products ranged from “disintegrates like toilet paper” to “does not disintegrate at all”. In situations where domestic standards have not been established, there is some rationality in substituting JIS P (cid:9876)(cid:9877)(cid:9872)(cid:9873). It was also confirmed that IWSFG PAS(cid:9875) is a safer test method for the maintenance of sewerage facilities.