The Green Room

Briar writes the David Suzuki Nature Challenge:

A Clorox spokesperson says bleach breaks down to harmless salts and water. Is this true? I thought bleach was bad for fish!

Lindsay replies:

Bleach is bad, you’re right. You’ll see info about the harmful properties of bleach in many pieces of literature, just likely not by the company who makes it. In addition to the green cleaning recipes we provided David Suzuki Nature Challengers with, we’ll soon have a list up of harmful ingredients. Do visit www.queenofgreen.ca for the recipes so you can avoid bleach all together. White vinegar and baking soda work just as well to disinfect everything from your toilet bowl to the cat litter box!

Here’s what my sources say about chlorine bleach:

1. Bleach or Sodium Hyperchlorite is not considered a carcinogen or reproductive toxin. It’s the chlorine used to make the bleach which is toxic to produce and acutely toxic to fish. Source: CancerSmart 3.0, Labour Environmental Alliance Society

2. Chlorine is a gas created through electrolysis of salt water. It produces a toxic chemical and deadly by-products like dioxins. When using chlorine bleach it creates small amounts of organochlorines which are very dangerous. These organochlorines can cause reproductive, endocrine and immune system disorders. When released into the environment chlorine forms compounds that have been inked to cancer. Source: ToxicSmart Alternatives, Georgia Strait Alliance.

Basically, you don’t need bleach. A sprinkle of baking soda in the washing machine or a day in the sunshine will get your whites, white. Plus, chlorine bleach is highly caustic and poisons many children each year, and contributes to poor indoor air quality because it’s a pollutant.