The Dangers of Chlorine and Issues With Sucralose

[Guest guest]

The Dangers of Chlorine and Issues With Sucralose

 

http://www.mercola.com/2001/jun/23/chlorine.htm

 

Most of us have grown up with the idea that whiter whites (and

brighter colors) mean cleaner clothes. We continue to use chlorine

products with abandon to whiten and to disinfect. We write on white

paper and bathe in and drink chlorinated water.

After all, who wants bacteria- infested water? In our society,

chlorine is ubiquitous-and so are its side effects.

 

In fact, the long-term residual effects from chlorine are becoming

such a health hazard that the American Public Health Association is

urging the American paper industry to stop using chlorine.

 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found dioxin (a

toxic byproduct of chlorine) to be 300,000 times more potent as a

carcinogen than DDT

 

Healthy & Natural speaks with Stephen Ashkin, director of product

development and environmental affairs at Seventh Generation, a

manufacturer of green, nontoxic cleaning products.

 

Although he has a degree in chemistry, Ashkin gained most of his

practical knowledge and experience through direct contact in the

chemical industry. He literally grew up in the laboratory of his

parent's cleaning products manufacturing company.

 

Ashkin chaired the American Society for Testing and Materials' task

force that wrote the national cleaning standard for commercial and

institutional buildings. He has also chaired President Clinton's

Green Chemistry Challenge Task Force. Ashkin is acting advisor for a

number of EPA programs including the Indoor Environment Division. He

has published numerous articles on environmentally preferable

products and is a very popular conference speaker.

 

Q: Does chlorine occur naturally?

 

Typically chlorine does not normally occur in the environment except

as a yellow gas on rare occasions. It's a manufactured substance

produced through an industrial process. An electrical current is

passed through salt water producing chlorine and caustic soda.

 

Q: Is chlorine very toxic?

 

This is where this topic gets very interesting. Many people argue

that chlorine is basically safe-that it breaks down into harmless

salt and water. Well, that's true-in a laboratory test tube under

very controlled conditions.

 

The real issue is not just how toxic chlorine itself is but how the

unintended byproducts of chlorine (organochlorines and dioxins)

remain in the environment. They are persistent in the environment;

they do not break down readily and therefore bio-accumulate.

 

Q: Is there a chlorine pollution problem?

 

One of the largest uses of chlorine is in the paper industry.

Chlorine is first used to break down the lignan that holds the wood

fibers together. Then chlorine is used to bleach the paper to make

it white.

 

The effluent or wastewater containing dioxins and other

organochlorines are then dumped into streams and waterways. These

ingredients are highly toxic and carcinogenic. Once in the waste

stream, they come into contact with other organic materials and

surfactants and combine to form a host of extremely toxic organic

chemicals.

 

A chain of events occurs: The water becomes polluted; the fish

become contaminated; animals eat the fish and people eat the

contaminated animals and fish.

 

This can create a very serious health problem; the dioxins and other

toxic chemicals, when consumed, accumulate in the fatty tissues.

 

These contaminants are also hormone disrupters because they mimic

estrogen. The EPA has observed and documented hormonal imbalance,

suppressed immune systems, reproductive infertility and alterations

in fetal development of animals. In viewing the big picture, these

factors are perhaps the most frightening results from the widespread

use of chlorine.

 

Q: How widespread is chlorine contamination?

 

It is so widespread that it would be difficult to find any human

being who does not have detectable levels of dioxin in his/her blood.

 

While we know that chlorine is a substantial environmental problem

caused by the paper industry, household bleach and cleaners

containing chlorine also pose a serious health risk.

 

For instance, in 1997, 217,989 calls to the Poison Control Center

concerned household cleaners. Of those calls, 54,453 were about

chlorine bleach and 7,570 were for chlorine disinfectants. So, that

means that 28.4 percent of all calls were related to poisonings by

chlorine products. What's even more important, most of those calls

were about children under 6 years old.

 

Q: What can happen if these chemicals get into our bodies?

 

Our bodies are very good at metabolizing many things. Through

special enzymes, our bodies are able to rid themselves of many

environmental toxic substances that we come into contact with daily.

However, dioxins (and other organochlorine compounds) aren't

included. Even if we are exposed to very low levels, dioxins remain

in the body and accumulate.

 

The EPA is now saying that this is soon to become a major health

risk problem. The cumulative effects of dioxin in humans have been

linked to

 

birth defects

cancer

reproductive disorders

immune system breakdown

Q: Should chlorine be used in our public water supply?

 

The alternative question would be, should we drink contaminated

water? The answer, of course, would be no. It's very important that

our water is sanitized. Years ago, there were very few alternatives.

However, today, while chlorine is a very effective (and cheap)

sanitizer, many scientists are recognizing some serious side effects

from chlorine.

 

Today, our technology is getting to the point where, I hope, we will

look into a better means of sanitizing our drinking water. This will

not be easy because one of the biggest advantages (and ultimately

the biggest disadvantage) of using chlorine is the fact that

chlorine doesn't break down.

 

Water can be treated with chlorine at the filtration plant and 10

miles away the chlorine is persistent enough to remain in the water

and pipes when it reaches the home. There exist many other

ingredients that are good sanitizers, but they break down quickly,

and the water would become contaminated by the time it reaches

someone's home.

 

We may have a problem if we need to sanitize via a chemical

additive. It becomes a sort of oxymoron: chemicals that are

persistent also tend to be toxic. The ultimate solution may be to

have home-based water filtration/sanitizing systems. This would

eliminate the problem of trying to prevent hundreds of miles of

pipes, installed a hundred years ago, from contaminating the water.

 

Q: 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 substances simply because they worked for our

grandparents. The technology in the chemical industry is allowing us

to replace many of these toxic ingredients with others that are not

only nontoxic but have renewable resources and many environmental

benefits.

 

It's a major educational process for consumers to understand that

they, through their buying choices, can make a difference. Did you

know that only about 20 percent of shoppers buy their household

products in natural food stores?

 

What that says to me is that while consumers recognize the

importance of buying supplements and organic foods, they don't

recognize the same environmental and health benefits associated with

buying chlorine-free paper and other nontoxic cleaners.

 

 

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Chlorine Facts

 

Dioxin, a chemical byproduct of the manufacturing of

chlorinebleached paper, is believed to be the single most

carcinogenic chemical known to science.

 

When you open the door of your dishwasher after washing, toxic

volatized chlorine from dish detergent and tap water is released

into the air.

 

Thanks to chlorine pollution, Americans ingest a daily amount of

dioxin that is already 300 to 600 times greater than the EPA's so-

called " safe " dose.

 

The US Environmental Protection Agency has found dioxin to be

300,000 times more potent as a carcinogen than DDT.

 

Dioxin has been linked to endometriosis, immune system impairment,

diabetes, neurotoxicity, birth defects, decreased fertility, and

reproductive dysfunction in both women and men.

 

Studies show that 40-70 percent of the dioxin in bleached coffee

filters can leach into your coffee; dioxin found in paper milk

cartons also leaches into the milk you drink.

 

Cancer-causing chemicals like chlorine found in many household

products such as coffee filters, disposable diapers, paper towels,

and bathroom tissue are readily absorbed through the skin.

 

The Light Party

 

 

 

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DR. MERCOLA'S COMMENT:

 

Sucralose, the supposed " safe " replacement for Nutrasweet, is

starting to receive much press recently as it is being promoted more

and more.

 

I was just interviewed by CBS for a piece that they will be

publishing on their website very shortly.

 

It is important to recognize that Sucralose is basically chlorinated

table sugar and as such, may have many of the risks of chlorine

discussed above. In addition, it is contributing to environmental

chlorine pollution as well.

 

It is important to recognize that Sucralose is not the safe chemical

it is being promoted as. I would advise caution as many have started

to report adverse reactions to it.

 

The other issue with chlorine is of course its more common use as a

water disinfectant, which is one of the main reasons why most of us

need to use water filters of some sort.

 

With summer upon us one must not neglect the use in swimming pools.

Because the exposure is generally longer, this is a much more

serious issue for those who swim regularly, than drinking tap water.

 

If you have a pool it is important to know that there are chlorine

alternatives such as hydrogen peroxide (Baquacil) and ozone that can

be used, are not toxic and more pleasant to use.

 

 

Related Articles:

The Potential Dangers of Sucralose

Is Tap Water Safe?

Chlorinated Water Can Affect Cancer Risk

Americans Don't Drink Enough Water

 

http://www.mercola.com/2001/jun/23/chlorine.htm