It is found naturally in over 2,000 organic compounds. We humans also use chlorine in manufacturing processes and as an ingredient in many products, including car interiors, house siding, plastics for toys, packaging, bicycle helmets, and an almost endless array of other consumer products. Most drugs, including many commonly used cold remedies and vitamins, are made with chlorine. Nearly 98 percent of drinking water in the U.S. is disinfected with chlorine. According to Thornton, it is because when anything is burned in the presence of chlorine, there is a possibility that dioxins will be created.
Dioxins are long-lived and extremely poisonous to some animals.
Over the course of many years, the amount of dioxin in the environment could build up, Thornton claims, until it poses a major threat to our health and to the natural environment. Indeed, he says, there is evidence that dioxin is causing public health problems even at current levels. There is much that is wrong with this reasoning. First, the amount of dioxin in air, water, soil, and our bodies isn't rising. It's fallen dramatically in the past two decades, and now rests at nearly pre-industrial levels.