From: jack taylor
>
> The reason disposing of used citrus solvent is illegal is not
> just because of the solvent, but because of the chemicals the
> solvent dissolves. Even if the carrier is safe, what it carries
> is not.
I just called my county Local Hazardous Waste Program, and they said it is
legal for me to dump it down the drain. As I suspected, businesses have
regulations based on the concentration, quantity, and what's dissolved in
it, but household use is not regulated. Even businesses that produce under
100 kg a year are allowed to dump it with certain conditions (dilution,
allowed contaminants). Rules in your locale may vary. The nice lady said
citrus-based degreasers are considered much safer than kerosene, mostly
because of the danger to lungs from the fumes. She did mention that rubber
gloves are recommended though.
> Also, I doubt you drink much in your orange juice. iirc, the
> solvent's in the rinds--not the pulp. That's akin to saying
> that cyanide is safe as you eaten lots of cherries and peaches.
> (Cyanide may extracted from the stones of peaches and cherries.)
Well, there's lots of limonene in orange rinds, and a fair bit of it does get in the juice. The big juice producers extract some of this, not because it's dangerous but because they can sell it. That's where "Food Grade" limonene comes from. They don't take it all out of the juice though, because it's what makes OJ smell like OJ! ("Technical Grade" is extracted from the spent rinds, with steam.) Limonene is also *added intentionally* to food as a flavor additive, and shaved rind ("zest") is called for in many recipes. Limonene is rated "Generally Recognized As Safe" by the US FDA. (Yes I know the FDA is mostly there to protect industry from consumers, so I take that with a grain of salt.)
Unless we find it really does take chrome off, I think I'll keep using it.
Mark Bulgier
Seattle, Wa
USA