AN MD80 AT 17000 FT DIVERTED DUE TO SLIGHT HAZE IN COCKPIT AND CABIN. AT REDUCED PWR THE HAZE DISSIPATED. CAUSED BY DEICING FLUID IN THE WATER SEPARATOR COALESCER BAGS.

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DURING CLB OUT OF ORD EBOUND; WE NOTICED A SLIGHT HAZE/SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT. ABOUT THE SAME TIME THE FLT ATTENDANTS CALLED AND SAID THEY ALSO NOTICED A HAZE IN THE CABIN. WE CALLED ATC TO REQUEST A LEVELOFF TO RUN THE CHKLIST. WHILE RUNNING THE CHKLIST; ATC GAVE US VARIOUS VECTORS AND SMALL ALT CHANGES. WE DETERMINED FROM RUNNING THE CHKLIST THAT THE HAZE/SMOKE SOURCE WAS COMING FROM THE AIR CONDITIONING SYS DURING HIGH PWR SETTINGS. THE HAZE/SMOKE WOULD ONLY DISSIPATE AT LOWER PWR SETTINGS. SO WE REQUESTED TO RETURN TO ORD. WHILE RUNNING THE CHKLIST AND AT 17000 FT; WE MAY HAVE MISSED AN ALT CLRNC TO CLB TO FL180. THIS HAPPENED ABOUT THE SAME TIME WE REQUESTED TO RETURN TO ORD. AS SOON AS WE REDUCED THE PWR TO DSND BACK TO ORD; THE HAZE WOULD DISSIPATE RAPIDLY. WE DID NOT DECLARE AN EMER AS HAZE/SMOKE WAS NOT TOO BAD AT ANY TIME BUT FELT IT WAS NOT SAFE TO PROCEED TO DEST. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE PROB WAS THE SOCKS IN THE WATER SEPARATOR UNITS WERE SOAKED WITH THE DEICING FLUID AND MINGLED WITH THE CONDITIONED AIR ENTERING THE COCKPIT AND CABIN. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR ACN 678195 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE HAZE/SMOKE WAS NEVER THICK ENOUGH TO DECLARE AN EMER BUT THE DECISION WAS MADE TO RETURN TO THE DEP ARPT. THE HAZE WAS CAUSED BY WATER BAGS BEING SOAKED IN DEICING FLUID.