Dioxin is one of these organo-chlorine toxins, is produced via a combination of chlorine bleach compounds and organic matter. The deadliest substance known to humankind, dioxin is known to impair reproduction and the immune system at doses measured in parts per trillion.
Dioxin Technical Stuff
The term dioxin actually refers to a family of more than 70 isomers of highly toxic, man-made organic compounds—dioxins—that are byproducts of some industrial processes and waste incineration. Dioxins are fat-soluble, so they tend to accumulate in the tissues of the animals who encounter them, and it can take many years for the compounds to break down. Any person living in an industrialized country has dioxins in his or her body—we ingest them when we eat animal fats or animal-fat byproducts.
No safe level of chlorine use/dioxin exposure can be considered safe …
Once dioxins enter the body, they last a long time because of their chemical stability and their ability to be absorbed by fat tissue, where they are then stored in the body. Their half-life in the body is estimated to be 7 to 11 years. In the environment, dioxins tend to accumulate in the food chain. The higher an animal is in the food chain, the higher the concentration of dioxins.
No safe level of chlorine use/dioxin exposure can be considered safe, and the greatest risk is to developing children and fetuses. The subtle reproductive and health effects occur at doses low enough to present no blatant effects, and is insidiously spreading slowly throughout populations … skin cancer, cataracts and infectious disease due to immune system disorders.
Dioxins are mainly by-products of industrial processes but can also result from natural processes, such as volcanic eruptions and forest fires. Dioxins are unwanted by-products of a wide range of manufacturing processes including smelting, chlorine bleaching of paper pulp and the manufacturing of some herbicides and pesticides. In terms of dioxin release into the environment, uncontrolled waste incinerators (solid waste and hospital waste) are often the worst culprits, due to incomplete burning. Technology is available that allows for controlled waste incineration with low dioxin emissions.
Where Chlorine Is Found
- Chlorine is one of the most commonly manufactured chemicals in the United States. Its most important use is as a bleach in the manufacture of paper and cloth, but it is also used to make pesticides (insect killers), rubber, and solvents.
- Chlorine is used in drinking water and swimming pool water to kill harmful bacteria. It is also as used as part of the sanitation process for industrial waste and sewage.
- Household chlorine bleach can release chlorine gas if it is mixed with certain other cleaning agents.
- Chlorine was used during World War I as a choking (pulmonary) agent.
Long Term Health Effects Of Chlorine
Long-term complications may occur after breathing in high concentrations of chlorine. Complications are more likely to be seen in people who develop severe health problems such as fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema) following the initial exposure.
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