Root Control Facts
This site was created by Sewer Sciences, Inc. as a reference tool for sewer system managers. It specifically addresses recent United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) actions that impact the use of metam sodium in sewers - one of three chemicals* currently used in root control. The EPA concluded that metam sodium is likely to be carcinogenic in humans and can be disruptive to wastewater treatment plants.
Sewer Sciences believes that it is not safe to use metam sodium for chemical root control, and has stopped promoting it. Instead, we use a more effective chemical** which the U.S. EPA regulates as less hazardous over all. Many municipalities no longer allow the use of carcinogens in their sewage collection system, now that better alternatives exist.
For a summary of new EPA regulations, click here.
For answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs), click here.
For links to US EPA documents and other primary source reports, click here.
*Not all chemical root control products contain metam sodium.
**Treats six times the length of pipe per equal chemical volume.
