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Common household bleach solution of chlorine (sodium hypochlorite)
is used in the "war against germs and stains" with
health and environmental effects.
Why do you care?
- Chlorine bleach is irritating to the lungs and eyes, and
in "ultra" concentrated products, potentially corrosive
to skin or eyes. It can be fatal if swallowed.1
Gulp!
- Toxic to humans
- The primary ingredient in bleach is sodium hypochlorite
which may be a neurotoxin and cause liver damage.2
- Chlorine bleach is reactive and forms toxic by-products
if mixed with ammonia or strong acids. For example, when
mixed with vinegar or tile bowl cleaner (an acidic base),
it immediately produces a plume of noxious chlorine
gas. When mixed with ammonia (found in some oven cleaners
and may be an unlabeled ingredient in some cleaning products),
it can create chloramine gas.3
- Toxic to environment
- When bleach travels via the wastewater system, the chlorine
salt by-products bond with other chemicals to create organochlorines
- which are suspected carcinogens as well as reproductive,
neurological, and immune-system toxins that persist in
the natural world.4
- Bleach is acutely toxic to fish and can bind
with organic material in marine environment.
- If every household in the U.S. replaced just one bottle
of 48 oz. chlorine bleach with non-chlorine bleach, we could
prevent 8.2 million pounds of chlorine from entering our environment.5
The Know How
- Avoid or minimize use of common bleach - sodium hypochlorite.
- Avoid other cleaning products that list active ingredients
as chlorine or ammonia, which create toxic fumes if accidentally
mixed together.
- Choose bleach alternatives:
- Natural oxygen bleaches based on hydrogen peroxide
or percarbonate (composed of salt, limestone and oxygenated
water) - some commercially available products include
oxygen bleach stabilizers to help reduce the product's
reactivity in the environment.
- Enzyme cleaners' use naturally occurring proteins
to break down the proteins found in common stains. Some
enzyme cleaners may contain harsh surfactants, chemicals
and preservatives found in standard cleaners, so be sure
to read the label carefully.
- For laundry, use bleach alternatives and try borax to
whiten or brighten clothes or make your own: 1/2 cup 3
percent-hydrogen peroxide per load or lemon juice and
good ole' sunshine.
- Try natural ingredients to manage mold: tea tree essential
oil, grapefruit seed extract and vinegar. Vinegar is by
far the cheapest.6
- Bleach alternatives are listed in the Guide
to Less Toxic Products.
- The Bares Bones Cleaning
Bucket provides some suggestions for cleaning and the
Laundry
Basket gives natural hints for whitening with less harmful
products.
Know and Tell
- Patti has a long and sorted history with bleach - it was
used everywhere when she was growing up and so as she grew
up she also used it everywhere. Over time she has "seen
the light" (and less white) and is learning to live without.
She does not miss the noxious fumes nor the splats that left
bleach spots on her new jeans. She will not purchase white
towels anymore (what was she thinking with 3 kids anyways)
and those white sports socks. Well … life is really
shades of gray … isn't it?
- Tamey has had the same bottle of bleach for over 10 years
…she's helping Patti accept life with"shades of
grey".
- See Bleach Alternatives
product reviews.
Pure Know How Kids
1. The
Chlorine Conundrum. Carmela M. Federico, April 18, 2003
2. Guide
to Less Toxic Products, Environmental Health Association
of Nova Scotia, 2004.
3. Cleaning
Products. Washington Toxic Coalition, retrieved from website
September 15, 2007.
4. Cleaners
and Toxins. Labour Environmental Alliance Society, Vancouver
BC
5.
Seventh Generation. Retrieved from website September 15,
2007
6. Three
Ways to Kill Mold Naturally. Annie B. Bond, retrieved from
website September 15, 2007
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