These workers took a hard look at Greenpeace arguments and concluded that Greenpeace was voicing half truths and untruths.

In the early 1994, the Chlorophiles Association was set up by employees of various companies manufacturing and processing chlorine and chlorine-based products.

This movement was carried out independently of employers. Its purpose was to react against the unjustified accusations by Greenpeace and other environmental pressure groups. Currently, there are many members in various parts of the world who espouse the following:

"We make chlorine and chlorine-based products with the greatest care in lants and are environmentally sound. These materials compare favourably with supposedly safer alternatives."

Grenepeace and other pressure groups wantto eliminate all use of chlorine by the year 2000. They have carried out legal and illegal actions to put chlorine and chlorine derived substances in the worst possible light. Items with little or no environmental impact are attacked just because they contain chlorine or are used in conjunction with a chlorine-based product. Proposed alternatives are unknown as to their suitability for the welfare of the public.

The Greenpeace cult has wandered far from its original intent of saving whales and seals and is not the intended environmental group but is now an anti-chlorine cult. Because of the great usage of chlorine in PVC, this polymer and the products made from and with it are under continuing attack with half-truths and untruths.

Recently, Greenpeace sued Chlorophiles and its founder,Ferdinand Engelbeen, in German court. The outcome of the trial was such that Greenpeace cold no longer be described as lying when they state that PVC is poisonous. Rather they can be characterised as putting forth untruths.The court described Greenpeace as a cult. Efforts can continue to give the truths in the face of Greenpeace untruths. So, be green with chlorine!

With the help that we can provide, it would be appropriate for the interested parties to establish a Chlorophiles-India. India needs the benefits provided by properly manufactured and used chlorine-based materials.

Misleading information and untruths in Greenpeace brouchers and reports:

`Chlorinated substances cause cancer'

Scientists are well aware that at least half of the substances, whether natural or not, whether they contain chlorine or not can cause cancer in high dosages. Of more than a thousand substances in coffee, twenty six have been studied, and of those fourteen are carcinogenic if fed in high doses to animals. This fodoes not mean that drinking coffee is believed to cause cancer. It is all a a question of doses. It also does appear that the list is much longer for far more dangerous carcinogenic nitrogen and carbon compounds than forchlorine compounds.

About 177 `chlorinated substances' are found in human beings

Greenpeace suggested that all the chlorine compounds found in human body are unnatural or dangerous, whereas a large number of chlorine compounds are essential for controlling the levels of salts in the body, the digestive system and the immune system.

`Chlorinated substances' disturb the harmone system and reproduction'Greenpeace is suggesting that all (over 15,000) chlorine compounds have a disastrous impact on `the harmone system, while this generalisation is based on only a few chlorine compounds, of which the most dangerous (PCBs and DDT) have long been banned, or are being sharply reduced (dioxins). The harmonal effect of the substance actually has nothing to do with the presence or absence of chlorine. Many products with a harmonal effect, both natural and synthetic, do not contain chlorine. The authors of the Danisha and british reports quoted by Greenpeace have also complained about this biasedinterpretation.

`The Paris Commission and other government bodies want to ban chlorinated substances'

The Paris Commission, the north sea conference and other government bodies want to eliminate as far as possible emission of toxic, persistent and bio-cumulable (chlorine) compounds. This only applies to a few dozen environmentally harmful substances -- whether or not they contain chlorine -- and to the whole of chlorine chemistry.

`PVC production is probably the largest source of dioxin in the environment'

To reach this assumption, data from a laboratory test were misused,while the actual measured values -- 100 times lower than claimed by Greenpeace -- were already known to Greenpeace years earlier. Greenpeace also deliberately confuses creation of dioxin with emission of dioxin into the environment. This means that the actual emissions are 10,000 times lower than what Greenpeace `assumes.'

`Dioxin problem would be solved by banning all chlorine chemistry'

This statement ismade although chlorine chemistry is only responsible for one-thousandth of dioxin emissions. Steps are being taken towards solving the dioxin problem by improving the quality of incineration and the measures taken in the metals industry.

Moreover, dioxin is generated during production, transport, use and waste disposal of all products, whether or not they contain chlorine. All use of energy, all incineration, all h high temperature processes generate emissions of very low quantities of dioxins. In many case, this releases far more than the production and incineration of PVC.

`Recently it has been proved that all `chlorinated substances' are very harmful for people and the environment'

The overwhelming majority of chlorine compounds are bearly harmful, or completely harmless if used with care. Approximately 30 per cent of all medicinal drugs contain chlorine as an essential ingredient, PVC is the most thoroughly researched and commonly used plastic in medical applications like blood bags ordrips. There are no serious environmental problems connected with production use or waste disposal.

Buy green, buy chlorine-free?

Greenpeace gives a wide range of alternatives to chlorine applications, mainly for PVC, but provides no evidences whatever that these alternatives are better for the environment. A number of these are even demonstrably more dangerous for people and worse for the environment. Greenpeace is no longer an environmental movement but and anti-chlorine movement.

Chlorine keeps you alive

Chlorine saves people's lives through medicinal drugs

Chlorine is used in the manufacture of over 80 per cent of all medicinal drugs.In approximately 30 per cent, chlorine is actually an essential component of the medicine itself.

Chlorine saves people's lives through drinking water

Drinking contaminated water causes 80 per cent of infectious diseases. According to World Health Organisation, 25,000 people mostly children die every day from such diseases. Throughout theworld, chlorine is helping to fight these diseases. It is cheap and therefore, affordable even for third world countries. When the authorities in Peru stopped chlorinating drinking water, an outbreak of cholera turned into a disastrous epidemic for the people: so far, it has claimed over 20,000 lives and 60,000 people have had the disease. In the former Eastern bloc countries, children are dying from infectious diseases because based on rumours, the authorities no longer dare to put chlorine into the drinking water. Greenpeace is spreading these rumours too.

Chlorine is essential for durable development

Chlorine saves finite raw materials. It is made from salt, which is present in unlimited quantities in enormous salt lakes and in the oceans. Chlorine enables specific reactions, which would otherwise lead to more waste and therefore, require the use of more (finite) raw materials. And a product like PVC which consists of more than 50 per cent of chlorine, saves finite materials like oil.

(Theauthor is principal, Cross Gates Consultants. He was in Mumbai earlier this month to address members of the plastics and polymer making industry at the 2-day global conference on PVC 2000 organised by Society of Plastics Engineers Inc USA -Indian Section)