For just pennies a day, chlorine cleans and protects. No other disinfectant does so much, for so little, for so many. Chlorine helps make possible many of the miracles of modern medicine. Chlorine-based vinyl packaging also adds to the safety of medicine. In addition, almost one-third of central nervous system drugs contain chlorine, while 98 percent of gastrointestinal medications are made using chlorine.
Chlorinated compounds are also essential to new drug research.
Of the nearly 400 new drugs approved for therapeutic use in humans since 1984, more than 60 are chlorinated compounds, and many others use chlorine's unique chemical properties in their production. A Vital Component in Medical Equipment Chlorine is essential to a wide variety of medical equipment. Every day, millions of police officers and firefighters put their lives on the line. Protecting the public can be dangerous business, but thanks to chlorine, life on the job is a lot safer. Probably the most familiar everyday use of chlorine is table salt, or sodium chloride.