Les Howington
New member
For those of you who use chlorine in place of bleach or for those that may be thinking about it, below is some information that may help you decide which to use.
Household bleach and chlorine are not the same thing.
What is chlorine?
Chlorine is an element used to disinfect water and produce such products as drugs, plastics and pesticides.
What is household bleach?
it has just as much chlorine as common table salt (sodium chloride, NaOH)
chlorine is just one ingredient required to make bleach
Bleach is produced by combining chlorine and caustic soda (sodium hydroxide).
This forms a new product, sodium hypochlorite, the active ingredient in bleach.
Bleach is a 5.25% solution of sodium hypochlorite and water.
The use of household bleach does not lead to the formation of dioxin, does not harm the ozone layer, and does not lead to the formation of toxic substances which can build up in the food chain.
Household bleach is essentially non-toxic if ingested.
It is not considered corrosive by any government regulatory definition, including the strict standards set by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Household bleach is also an emetic, which means that when swallowed, it will normally cause vomiting.
Since household bleach is not corrosive to the esophagus or gastrointestinal tract, there is no lasting damage to the body from accidental ingestion.
These findings are supported by studies monitoring accidental bleach ingestion, as reported to poison control centers.
Additionally, household bleach does not pose any long-term health concerns.
Sodium hypochlorite, the active ingredient in household bleach, has been shown in laboratory tests not to be a cause of cancer, and the International Agency for
Research on Cancer concluded in 1990 that hypochlorite salts could not be classified as carcinogenic.
However, bleach is a skin and eye irritant. Direct contact with eyes or prolonged contact with skin can cause temporary irritation; first aid is to flush the area with water.
What is Chlorine?
Chlorine is a greenish yellow gas with an irritating odor, or present in liquid solutions.
It is used in making solvents, man-made chemicals, disinfectants, and chlorine bleach cleaners.
How can Chlorine affect me?
Acute short term health effects:
Irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat. It can include tearing, coughing, sputum, bloody nose, and chest \pain. Higher levels cause a buildup of fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema) and death.
Chronic health effects:
Chlorine can irritate the lungs. Repeated exposure may cause bronchitis to develop with cough, phlegm, and /or shortness of breath
Long term exposure can damage teeth.
If symptoms develop or over-exposure is suspected, the following may be useful
Lung function tests
any evaluation should include a careful history of past and pre-
symptoms with an exam.
Consider X-ray after acute over-exposure.
Mixed Exposure
Because smoking can cause heart disease, as well as lung cancer emphysema, and other respiratory problems, it may worsen respiratory conditions caused by chemical exposure. Even if you have smoked for a long time, stopping now will reduce your risk of developing health problems.
Prevention
Unless a less toxic chemical can be substituted for a hazardous substance, engineering controls are the most effective way of reducing exposure.
The best protection is to enclose operations and/or provide local exhaust ventilation at the site of chemical release. Isolating operations can also reduce exposure.
Isolating operations can also reduce exposure.
Using respirators or protective equipment (such as gloves, suits, footwear, headgear, goggles) is less effective than the controls mentioned above, but is sometimes necessary.
Household bleach and chlorine are not the same thing.
What is chlorine?
Chlorine is an element used to disinfect water and produce such products as drugs, plastics and pesticides.
What is household bleach?
it has just as much chlorine as common table salt (sodium chloride, NaOH)
chlorine is just one ingredient required to make bleach
Bleach is produced by combining chlorine and caustic soda (sodium hydroxide).
This forms a new product, sodium hypochlorite, the active ingredient in bleach.
Bleach is a 5.25% solution of sodium hypochlorite and water.
The use of household bleach does not lead to the formation of dioxin, does not harm the ozone layer, and does not lead to the formation of toxic substances which can build up in the food chain.
Household bleach is essentially non-toxic if ingested.
It is not considered corrosive by any government regulatory definition, including the strict standards set by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Household bleach is also an emetic, which means that when swallowed, it will normally cause vomiting.
Since household bleach is not corrosive to the esophagus or gastrointestinal tract, there is no lasting damage to the body from accidental ingestion.
These findings are supported by studies monitoring accidental bleach ingestion, as reported to poison control centers.
Additionally, household bleach does not pose any long-term health concerns.
Sodium hypochlorite, the active ingredient in household bleach, has been shown in laboratory tests not to be a cause of cancer, and the International Agency for
Research on Cancer concluded in 1990 that hypochlorite salts could not be classified as carcinogenic.
However, bleach is a skin and eye irritant. Direct contact with eyes or prolonged contact with skin can cause temporary irritation; first aid is to flush the area with water.
What is Chlorine?
Chlorine is a greenish yellow gas with an irritating odor, or present in liquid solutions.
It is used in making solvents, man-made chemicals, disinfectants, and chlorine bleach cleaners.
How can Chlorine affect me?
Acute short term health effects:
Irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat. It can include tearing, coughing, sputum, bloody nose, and chest \pain. Higher levels cause a buildup of fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema) and death.
Chronic health effects:
Chlorine can irritate the lungs. Repeated exposure may cause bronchitis to develop with cough, phlegm, and /or shortness of breath
Long term exposure can damage teeth.
If symptoms develop or over-exposure is suspected, the following may be useful
Lung function tests
any evaluation should include a careful history of past and pre-
symptoms with an exam.
Consider X-ray after acute over-exposure.
Mixed Exposure
Because smoking can cause heart disease, as well as lung cancer emphysema, and other respiratory problems, it may worsen respiratory conditions caused by chemical exposure. Even if you have smoked for a long time, stopping now will reduce your risk of developing health problems.
Prevention
Unless a less toxic chemical can be substituted for a hazardous substance, engineering controls are the most effective way of reducing exposure.
The best protection is to enclose operations and/or provide local exhaust ventilation at the site of chemical release. Isolating operations can also reduce exposure.
Isolating operations can also reduce exposure.
Using respirators or protective equipment (such as gloves, suits, footwear, headgear, goggles) is less effective than the controls mentioned above, but is sometimes necessary.
