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Chlorine Bleach

A Silent Killer lurking under your sink!

Chlorine Bleach

Bleach is Number One. It tops the list of household chemicals that have poisoned someone.

Clorox doesn't seem to mention that fact on those lovely commercials with all the flowers and running happy kids.

It also doesn't mention that over 120,000 kids under the age of 6 were poisoned by household cleaners in 2005 and the bleach (also known as hyperchlorite) was the source of almost 55,000 poisonings including 8 deaths.

It's time to be part of the change. There are options that work as well and are comparable in price that don't cause the damage to people and the environment like chlorine bleach does.

The Health Risks from using Bleach

Bleach comes from combining chlorine and sodium to produce sodium hypochlorite. It is an inexpensive product but one that can be lethal.

The vapors from bleach can cause headaches and throat irritation and can even cause nausea and vomiting if you are exposed for extended periods or the levels of chlorine bleach in the air get too thick. It can also make it difficult to breathe.

Touching it with your skin will cause irritation and skin damage. Just look at what it does to your clothes.

One of the real dangers of bleach happens when it gets mixed with ammonia. Ammonia and bleach create chlorine gas. This is chemical warfare – It can kill lots of people and is extremely dangerous.

It causes damages to your cells especially in your throat and lungs and can and will cause death if levels get too high.

This mixture also makes another toxic and deadly gas called nitrogen tetrachloride.

And even when you are being careful not to mix the two cleaners, you are probably inadvertently creating chlorine gas. Ammonia is found in urine so everytime you clean the toilet with bleach you are mixing the two compounds. Chlorine gas can also be formed when bleach is mixed with vinegar or other acidic cleaning products.

Pretty much the only way to avoid producing toxic fumes is to avoid using bleach!

Environmental Concerns

After years of haphazard waste disposal, the world has finally figured out that what we do does have an effect on the environment we live in.

Every time you clean with a toxic cleaner the toxins get washed down your drain and into the lakes and rivers and eventually spread to all parts of the environment.

Because of the larger volumes in water, fish are the first to feel the impact. Bleach is very harmful to fish and all aquatic life. But it doesn't stop there.

The fumes from chemical reactions like mentioned above put toxic chemicals into the air we breathe and every living creature breathes. The government likes to call these VOC's or Volatile Organic Compounds. Long term exposure to these VOC's can lead to health problems including asthma, cancer and nervous system disorders just to name a few.

There is even some evidence that household cleaners such as bleach can produce dioxins. Another nasty little toxin that ends up in our food supply, dioxins can have damaging effects on our health. Heart disease and immune system deficiency are just a couple of the problems associated with Dioxins.

What to Do About It

The best way to solve the problems and avoid the hazards associated with chlorine bleach is to just stop using it. It is that simple – Just STOP!

This won't fix all the environmental problems because it is the large industrial companies that create most of that problem, but it can clean up the environment within your home and that is where many of you health problems occur.

There are other products available that do the jobs of bleach. This is not your mothers cleaning world anymore. Environmentally conscious companies do exist and they do create products that are safe and actually still get the cleaning job done.

Take the time to educate yourself and make the switch. It is your life and the lives of your family you will be protecting. Just because you don't feel sick now the effects of toxins build up and create problems in the future. Avoiding them is the best life and health insurance policy you can get.

The Simple Act of Cleaning you Home can Create a Wave that can Change the World!

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