English - The Clorox Company

THE BLEACH CYCLE
PRODUCTS
SALT
MUNICIPAL
TREATMENT
SEPTIC TANK
BLEACH
MANUFACTURE
PRODUCT USE
SALT of the Earth
Bleach is an essential product for whitening laundry, cleaning homes and
disinfecting household and commercial surfaces. It sanitizes household items
such as kids’ toys, baby bottles and pet bowls. You can even use bleach to keep
cut flowers fresher longer. Most important, bleach continues to play a vital role
in protecting public health — it is one of the most effective disinfectants for
killing germs that can cause life-threatening infections such as Clostridium
difficile (C. diff), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and the
flu virus, including H1N1 influenza.
There are many misperceptions about bleach, possibly due to the misnomer
“chlorine bleach.” Clorox ® regular bleach, in fact, does not contain free chlorine.
Our regular household bleach is made up of a 6.0 percent simple solution
of sodium hypochlorite (oxygenated salt) and water. Upon use as a laundry
additive or disinfectant, 95 to 98 percent of bleach rapidly breaks down into
salt and water. Municipal wastewater treatment or septic systems effectively
treat the remaining 2 percent to 5 percent of by-products.
Household bleach does not contaminate water by producing dioxins. In addition,
the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental
Risks conducted a study on sodium hypochlorite that assessed all foreseeable
scenarios in which trihalomethanes could be formed. These scenarios showed
no significant adverse environmental impacts involving sodium hypochlorite*.
Studies also have shown that there is no exposure to trihalomethanes in quantities
above even the toughest standards such as California Proposition 65 Safe Harbor
levels as a result of using household bleach.
For nearly 100 years, Clorox ® regular bleach has been a staple in helping to
keep whites white and helping to rid our homes of germs that can cause illness.
Given its many practical household uses and its global disinfecting applications,
we are confident that Clorox ® regular bleach will continue to be a dependable,
salt-of-the-earth product for years to come. Visit www.FactsAboutBleach.com
to learn more.
The Power of Bleach
Anyone who has ever witnessed the power of bleach
to transform laundry from soiled white to bright, clean
white might be surprised to find that it is simply a matter
of salt and water at work.
Clorox ® regular bleach traces its origins to the
saltwater ponds of San Francisco Bay early in the 20th
century. Using the abundant brine available in the
ponds, company inventors ran an electrical current
through a saltwater-based compound to produce
sodium hypochlorite bleach. The resulting product
was sold to industrial businesses for use as a
disinfectant. Soon, a less concentrated version
became a household cleaning staple.
During the past century, liquid bleach has
performed some very important tasks. In 1969, the
Apollo space capsule was disinfected with bleach
upon its return to Earth. During World War I – in the
days before penicillin – the lives of some wounded
soldiers were saved by the antibacterial properties
of bleach. During World War II, bleach was used again
to destroy bacteria. Today, bleach continues to be
used to purify water and help control contamination
in times of emergency, such as natural disasters.
Transitioning US Operations
From Chlorine to High-Strength
Bleach
While Clorox ® bleach
does not contain free
chlorine, chlorine has
been used as a raw
material in household
bleach manufacturing.
In 2009, we began
transitioning our U.S.
bleach manufacturing
processes to the use of high-strength bleach instead
of chlorine. This change helps us to better ensure
the supply of raw materials and provides another
layer to our industry-leading security practices.
*European Union Risk Assessment Report: Sodium Hypochlorite, November 2007.
The Clorox Company | 2010 CRR 21