Friday, July 4, 2014

The Story Of Bleach

 It was a dark and stormy night in 1789, lightning flashed, thunder rumbled, and in a small village called Javelle located in Paris a chemist was busy at work. This chemist's name was Claude Louis Berthollet, and he was on the verge of a great scientific breakthrough! This man was favored by Napoleon, and at this moment Claude was perfecting a new form of evil. "Ha ha!" he thunders allowed, "I have done it! A poison no one will expect, and everyone will want to use it!" He throws his head back and laughs maniacally before continuing his rant. "I will now be able to sit back and enjoy myself as humans kill themselves!" As he turns around and removes his protective mask we can see that this man is no human being, but an alien! "I call this masterpiece, Chlorine bleach!"

 Alright maybe I fabricated a bit of that story, but some of it is true! Chlorine bleach (or more technically sodium hypochlorite) was invented by Claude Louis Berthollet in 1789, but he definitely was not an alien! Claude Louis Berthollet was an Italian born French chemist favored by Napoleon around the time of the French Revolution. And though chlorine bleach was invented in Javelle (Now called Javel), there is no proof that it was invented on a dark and stormy night. And no, the inventor did not mean for chlorine bleach to be a poison, but that pretty much is what it has become today!
 Many companies today sell chlorine bleach, but the ingredients aren't just chlorine and water! Let's take a look at Clorox, and the chemicals they have in their bleach.


   Clorox Bleach; Ingredients, and their health effects on us. 
  • Water- Well obviously we know that that's safe! 
  • Sodium hypochlorite- This chemical is an oxidizer, which means it will burn your skin on contact, and if gotten in your eye, it can cause serious eye damage.  
  • Sodium chloride- Salt 
  • Sodium Carbonate- Quoted from Medline Plus, "Symptoms may include: Breathing problems due to throat swelling, Collapse,Diarrhea,Drooling, Eye irritation, redness, and pain, Hoarseness, Low blood pressure (may develop rapidly), Severe pain in the mouth, throat, chest, or abdominal area, Shock, Skin irritation, Swallowing difficulty, Vomiting" and then they say lower down in the article "Sodium carbonate is usually not very toxic. However, if you swallow very large amounts, you may have symptoms. In this rare situation, long-term effects, even death, are possible if you do not receive quick and aggressive treatment." All in all something I wouldn't want to use in my laundry!
  • Sodium Chlorate- Sodium chlorate is a non-selective herbicide, it is also very toxic if ingested!   
  • Sodium hydroxide- Also known as lye, can severely burn you, and it's recomended that you wear gloves while handling it!    
  • Sodium polyacrylate- It is a mild skin irritant, it can cause lung irritation but only if breathed in over a long period of time. There is also limited effects on the environment.  
 Earlier I found a really interesting article on the environmental protection agency website, about bleach aimed towards children. I think it's worth your while to check it out here. 

Some other bad companies that sell bleach include: 
  • Ajax (Owned by Colgate-Palmolive) 
  • Dial 
  • Clorox 
  • CVS/Pharmacy 
  • Vaska 
  • Green Works 
  • Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC. (Owns: Spray n' wash, Vivid, Air Wick, Cling Free, Easy-Off, Finish, Glass Plus, Lime-A-Way, Lysol, Mop and Glo, Old English, Resolve, Woolite, Finish Jet-Dry)   
Some ok companies that sell bleach are:  
  • Earth Friendly Products 
  • Ecover
Some good companies that sell bleach are:  
  • Seventh Generation (Contains only hydrogen peroxide and water) 
Some safe substitutes for bleach are: 
  • Bleach your whites in the sun (not recommended for colors) 
  • Add 1/2 cup of baking soda to your regular laundry detergent  
  • Soak clothing in 1 part vinegar to 6 parts warm water overnight.
Resouces 
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