Would you use chlorine on your skin?

When using tissue paper, do you ever stop to wonder if the only thing that’s really touching your skin is paper? That’s because it’s most likely that you’re also applying harsh chemicals like chlorine, which are used to bleach tissue paper.

It is for this reason that Sanitary Care Products Asia (SCPA) is strict in specifying the non-use of chlorine in its tissue paper, opting instead to use virgin pulp in all of its tissue paper and paper napkin products like Jade bathroom tissue, Cheers half-folded table napkins, Tisyu and Femme all-around hygienic tissue and Sanicare tissue paper. Virgin pulp is free from carcinogens and chlorine, making SCPA’s products hygienic and safe to use.

Chlorine is a poisonous, greenish non-metallic element commonly used for disinfecting. According to Australia’s National Pollutant Inventory, exposure to low concentrations of chlorine can cause burning of eyes, nose, mouth and skin.

Increased exposure can result in lacrimation (tear formation) and rhinorrhea (streaming nose), coughing, sneezing, choking, and substernal (chest) pain, nausea and vomiting, headaches and dizziness, fainting, fatal pulmonary oedema, pneumonia, conjunctivitis, inflammation of the cornea, pharyngitis, burning chest pain, difficulty in breathing, bleeding in the respiratory system, oxygen deficiency, dermatitis, and skin blisters.

Inhalation of small amounts of chlorine causes few or no symptoms. In larger amounts, chlorine is a powerful irritant to the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, and throat.

It is because of these dangers that SCPA has never used chlorine. "We are always mindful of our responsibility to our consumers to provide them with products that are cost-efficient, hygienic and safe," says SCPA vice president Ven Sio, adding that the company’s non-use of chlorine also benefits the environment.

The Canada-based Reach for Unbleached Foundation reveals that totally chlorine-free, zero-discharge paper mills produce no liquid effluent and minimize the quantity of toxicity of air pollution and solid waste, which is a desirable and achievable goal.

All SCPA products are found in major supermarkets and groceries nationwide. For more corporate and product information, call at 838-7301 to 02 or log on to http://www.sanicare.com.ph.