Hypotheses about the relationship between frequency of use and 16 indepen dent variables were tested for selected appliances. Independent variables were considered in five categories: (1) relative importance of five goals in meal prep aration; (2) extent of desired characteristics in particular appliances; (3) related household facilities; (4) selected human resources; and (5) selected household attributes. The appliances—electric skillet, toaster‐oven, slow cooker, and mi crowave oven—were selected as having potential for conserving energy over use of a range oven. A sample of 125 households in the Columbus, Ohio area owning at least one of the selected appliances was surveyed with a self‐administered questionnaire in the summer of 1981. Toaster‐ovens and microwave ovens were used more frequently than electric skillets and slow cookers. Factors which re lated significantly to frequency of appliance usage differed among the appliances studied. The significant factor(s) were: microwave oven—relative importance of the goal “being able to use as little physical effort as possible in meal prepara tion”; toaster‐oven—educational attainment of respondents, number of selected appliances owned per household, and availability of convenient storage space; and slow cooker—extent of desired characteristics in the slow cooker owned. Frequency of electric skillet usage was not significantly related to any indepen dent variables.

The performance of phosphate-built, carbonate-built, and unbuilt liquid laundry detergents was evaluated with standard controlled tests to determine soil removal, soil deposition, and carbonate deposition in soft and hard water using home laundry appliances. Light reflectance data were analyzed using analysis of variance procedures. All three types of detergents performed better in soft water than in hard. The unbuilt liquids and phosphate-built powders were more effective in soil removal and whiteness retention than the carbonate-built products, and differences in results were magnified as the number of washings was increased. At present, unbuilt liquids are a practical and effective alternative to phosphate-built laundry detergents. THE PROBLEMA ban on the sale of phosphate-built detergents, first legislated in the 1970s, has been in effect in seven states (Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Wisconsin) as ~areii as the District of Columbia and parts of iliin®is and Ohio. In addition, legislation to prohibit the sale of detergents having more than 0.5% phosphorus became effective in Virginia and North Carolina on January 1, 1988. Manufacturers have voluntarily reduced the level of phosphate in detergents since 1970. As reported by Procter and Gamble, the level of phosphorus in all laundry detergents in 1970 averaged 11 percent, but by 1984 it had dropped to about 5 percent (Williams, 1984). However, it should be noted that the liquid products, which contain no phosphorus and were not available in 1970, had become popular by 1984 and were included in calculating the 1984 overall average. The phosphorus level in October 1986 of several national brands of granular detergents marketed in the area where tests were conducted is shown in Table 1 (page 254).Although many researchers have studied the effects of phosphate and nonphosphate builders on laundry performance, the methodology and detergent formulations have been so varied that generalizations for all laundry conditions are almost ir~p®ssibl~. Primary limitations of previous research fall into three categories: 1) length of time since the research was conducted and the rapid change in product formulations 2) water qualityseveral studies have been conducted with hard or distilled water, few with water classified as naturally soft; and 3) data collection

Laundry practices and satisfaction of consumers in soft and hard water areas were compared before and after the state of Virginia initiated a ban on the sale and use of phosphate‐built laundry detergents. Respondents to mail questionnaires (184 before: 174 after) generally had high satisfaction with laundry results before and after the ban despite the fact that they did not always follow currently recommended laundry practices. Post‐ban, few practices had changed, but more respondents in both water areas tended always or frequently to add extra detergent for heavily soiled items. Thus. during the first 2 or 3 months of the ban little effect on laundry practices and satisfaction was apparent. Education about recommended laundry practices appears beneficial because of the implications for family economic well‐being.

DISCLAIMERThis reportwas preparedas an accountof worksponsoredby an agencyof the UnitedStates Government.Neitherthe UnitedStatesGovemmentnoranyagency thereof, nor any of their employees,makes any warranty, expressor implied,or assumes any legal liabilityor responsibilityfor the accuracy,completeness,or usefulness of any information,apparatus, product or process disclosed, or representsthatitsusewouldnotinfringeprivatelyownedrights.Referencesherein J to anyspecificcommercial product,process,or servicebytradename, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, orfavoringbytheUnitedStatesGovernmentorany agency thereof. The views and opinionsof authorsexpressedherein do not necessarilystate or reflectthoseof the UnitedStates Government or any agency thereof. WlNCO SummaryDuring the early years (1950)(1951)(1952)(1953)(1954)(1955)(1956)(1957)(1958)(1959)(1960)(1961)(1962)(1963)(1964)(1965) of Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) operations, eleven, 300,000-gallon waste storage tanks were constructed and now constitute the major portion of the ICPP Tank Farm. These tanks were built to the standards at the time of construction, but do not meet all current standards. A project was in progress to replace these aging tanks; however, since fuel reprocessing has been curtailed at ICPP, it is not clear that the new tanks are required. The Department of Energy (DOE) requested a systems engineering evaluation to determine the need for the new tanks. To satisfy this request, a Westinghouse Idaho Nuclear Company team was assembled to perform the study.The systematic approach used for the study consisted of five steps: problem definition, functional requirements determination, alternatives determination, systems definition, ,and evaluation and optimization.The defined problem, as presented to the committee, was to evaluate all feasible options for emptying the existing Tank Farm and to determine the need for new tanks. The functional requirements identified for the study were: it must meet current regulations, be cost effective, minimize technical risk, consider waste minimization, minimize the time required to 'treat the waste, minimize required new tank volume, and be compatible with all current wastes and any new wastes expected to be generated.Over 100 alternatives were identified during a facilitated team meeting using Value Engineering techniques. After eliminating any ideas which clearly could not meet the requirements, the remaining ideas were combined into nine basic cases with five sub cases. These fourteen cases were then carefully defined using two methods. First, each case was drawn graphically to show waste processing equipment interfaces and time constraints where they existed or were imposed. Second, each case was analyzed using a time-dependent computer simulation of ICPP waste management activities to determine schedule interactions, liquid storage requirements, and solid waste quantities. The modeling was a life-cycle analysis that included pr...