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Chlorine: Highly Toxic and Environmentally Damaging Chlorine: (also known as hypochlorite, sodium hypochlorite, sodium dichloroisocyanurate, hydrogen chloride, hydrochloric acid) Chlorine was first manufactured on an industrial scale in the early 1900s. It was used as a powerful poison in World War I. Chlorine is the household chemical most frequently involved in household poisonings in the U.S. Chlorine also ranks first in causing industrial injuries and deaths resulting from large industrial accidents. Chlorine is an acutely toxic chemical created through the energy intensive electrolysis of sea water. This manufacturing process also creates extremely toxic byproducts. Sodium hypochlorite (known as household bleach, a 5% solution of sodium hypochlorite) is a chemical precursor of chlorine and should be treated as such because any use will create pure chlorine in the environment. In addition to its direct toxic effects on living organisms, chlorine also reacts with organic materials in the environment to create other hazardous and carcinogenic toxins, including trihalomethanes and chloroform (THMs), and organochlorines, an extremely dangerous class of compounds that cause reproductive, endocrine and immune system disorders. The most well known organochlorine is dioxin. Products containing chlorine (or any of its derivatives or precursors, including sodium hypochlorite) should be considered highly unacceptable. Similarly, any chemical with "-chlor-" as part of its name, or any ingredient listed as "bleach," should be considered unacceptable as this nomenclature indicates the presence of a highly toxic and environmentally damaging chlorinated compound. Chlorine and chlorinated compounds are also a prime cause of atmospheric ozone loss. Chlorine use in the laundry also degrades both natural and synthetic fibers. Chlorine is listed in the 1990 Clean Air Act as a hazardous air pollutant and is on the EPA’s Community Right-to-Know list. In 1993, the American Public Health Association issued a resolution calling for the gradual phase-out of most organochlorine compounds. Found in: Scouring powders, laundry bleach, dishwasher detergent, and basin, tub and tile cleaners. Source: GreenMarketPlace.com |