Detergents are found in water from industrial and public wastewater discharges. The most commonly used are linear-alkyl-sulfonates (LAS) and alkylbenzene-sulfonates (ABS). LASs are biodegradable and quickly destroyed by microorganisms.

The total concentration of LAS/ABS anionic detergents in natural water should be kept below 0.1 mg/L and in public wastewater discharge it should be between 1 and 20 mg/L.