What Is Trisodium Phosphate?
The New Jersey Department of Health describes sodium phosphate, tribasic, as an odorless, white, crystalline solid that is used as a water softener, in detergents and toothpaste, and as a paint remover. It says the chemical can affect you when breathed in and by passing through your skin, that contact can irritate and burn the skin and eyes, and that breathing it can irritate the nose and throat, causing coughing and wheezing.
It is also a food additive. Federal regulations at 21 CFR 182.1778 list sodium phosphate in its mono-, di- and tribasic forms as generally recognized as safe when used in accordance with good manufacturing practice.
Phosphates also matter for water quality. A 1999 US Geological Survey report says eutrophication was recognized as a primary water quality concern in the United States during the late 1960s. It reported that the most recent state detergent ban at the time had passed in New Hampshire in 1995, that 27 states and the District of Columbia had complete or partial bans, and that those limits generally applied only to household laundry detergents, with phosphate still permitted in dishwashing detergent and commercial cleaning agents. Washington state law now provides that beginning July 1, 2010, a person may not sell or distribute for sale in the state a dishwashing detergent that contains 0.5 percent or more phosphorus by weight.
Sources checked September 15, 2026. Every point below links the page it came from.
The sources behind this answer
- Medical referenceThe New Jersey Department of Health says tribasic sodium phosphate is used as a water softener, in detergents and toothpaste, and as a paint remover. New Jersey Department of Health ↗
- Government sourceThe New Jersey Department of Health says tribasic sodium phosphate can irritate and burn the skin and eyes, and can irritate the nose and throat when breathed. New Jersey Department of Health ↗
- Regulatory filingFederal regulations at 21 CFR 182.1778 list mono-, di- and tribasic sodium phosphate as generally recognized as safe under good manufacturing practice. US FDA, 21 CFR 182.1778 (eCFR) ↗
- Medical referenceA 1999 US Geological Survey report says eutrophication was recognized as a primary water quality concern in the United States during the late 1960s. US Geological Survey ↗
- Medical referenceThe 1999 USGS report said 27 states and the District of Columbia had complete or partial phosphate detergent bans, the most recent passed in 1995. US Geological Survey ↗
- Medical referenceThe 1999 USGS report said those limits generally applied only to household laundry detergents, with phosphate still permitted in dishwashing detergent. US Geological Survey ↗
- Regulatory filingWashington state law says that beginning July 1, 2010, dishwashing detergent with 0.5 percent or more phosphorus by weight may not be sold in the state. Washington State Legislature ↗
Sources checked September 15, 2026. A brand statement is the company’s own claim, which we report but have not verified. Our grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests.