Bitumen in Dishwasher

June 14, 2016, by Debra Lynn Dadd

Question from Marjorie

Hi Debra,

Have there been any safer dishwashers on the market? We've gone w/out one for over 2 years now, but really miss it. 

Also, if the choice comes down to PVC (Part of interior not the whole thing) or the newer bitumen ones which is safer? Thanks.

Debra's Answer

I haven’t researched dishwashers lately because I don’t use one. I wash all my dishes by hand.

So bitumen vs PVC…

Geez. It’s asphalt (used to surface roads and to seal flat roofs) vs carcinogenic plastic.

I read that many brands now use bitumen coating for insulation.The writer says this is basically Dynamat type asphalt matting and many brands give off a tar smell when hot. For the first 10 washes there has been a detectable tar smell, and I would add, toxic tar fumes.

We’ve discussed this before in Q&A: Chemical Smell in New Boesch Dishwasher. That smell appears to be bitumen.

Updated August 20, 2019: Read more about bitumen and finding a non-toxic dishwasher.