Chlorine and Household Products
Chlorine though highly toxic is a common ingredient in many everyday use cleaners. It is being used either by itself as a bleaching or disinfectant, or as a component of another chemical compound. Chlorine is known in many different names such as sodium hypochlorite, sodium dichloroisocyanurate, hypochlorite, hydrogen chloride, and hydrochloric acid. Because it is such an effective cleaning and disinfecting agent, and because chlorine is commonly found in a wide range of products, a majority of people are surprised to learn that the presence of chlorine in the cleaners we use actually represents a serious household hazard.
Chlorine is a lethal toxin that at high concentrations can cause lasting physical damage and even death. At low concentrations, chlorine is corrosive and a strong irritant to the lungs and mucous membranes. When chlorine is mixed with another chemical in a product's formula, the other chemical is almost always a member of a family of compounds called organochlorines, a different class of extremely hazardous materials capable of unpleasant surprises of their own.
Being hazardous themselves, both chlorine and the organochlorines that contain it can rapidly combine with other materials present in the home and environment to form new toxic substances. For example, when chlorine reacts with naturally occurring organic matter and/or certain other chemicals, carcinogens known as trihalomethanes are often created. It is commonly known that chlorine or any products that contain chlorine should never be mixed with ammonia because the resulting chemical reaction will create a poisonous gas.
Chlorine use in household cleaning products is more of a worry, because most products are specifically designed to be sprayed into the air or to be applied on surfaces. These actions contaminates the whole house of chlorine and often leave widespread areas – and occasionally areas outside of the original area that was being cleaned - infected by residues of varying concentrations.
Suggestions to have your home safe from the hazards of chlorine:
Avoid the use of any cleaning product that you believe contain chlorine or that have the term 'chlor' listed as an ingredient. Use only biodegradable, natural ingredient-based alternatives instead.
Be extra careful of scouring powders, dishwasher detergent, disinfecting agents, toilet cleaners, and tub & tile cleaners. Most of the products in these categories contain chlorine.
Only use oxygen or hydrogen peroxide-based laundry bleaches; avoid those that have sodium hypochlorite, a type of chlorine.
