Are there safe, effective alternatives to chlorine as a bleaching agent and disinfectant?
Absolutely! Primarily, hydrogen peroxide is available to the paper industry and to the soap industry as a bleaching agent. Another new technology uses ozone. Other non-chlorinated household cleaning products, readily available to the consumer, achieve the same bleaching and disinfecting results as chlorine but are nontoxic. I don’t understand why anyone would want to use chlorine products anyway. Chlorine is a respiratory irritant and when mixed with other common household products, it gives off a toxic gas. Q: What can we do to make a difference? We could request and purchase processed chlorine-free paper, not just in writing paper but in paper towels, napkins, tissues, and toilet paper. It’s a vote for our environment and our health. It may seem to be a small thing, but collectively it really can make a substantial difference. We need to realize that the technology in the chemical industry has changed as dramatically as in the computer industry. We no longer need to use harmful subst
