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Bath
As you are sitting in a nice hot foamy
bath, chemicals are all around you - literally! Those soothing bubbles are
made from a specially-formulated detergent,
as is the bath or shower gel you are washing with. Perhaps you prefer the
more traditional bath salts? These contain sodium carbonate as well as natural
salts from the sea and act as a water
softener. Even the bath itself may be made of cast iron coated with
enamel,
or it may be moulded from a cast sheet of coloured acrylic
plastic.
Basin
Chemicals are probably an important part of your daily hygiene
routine as they are in the soap
you use for washing, and the toothpaste
you use to keep your teeth and gums clean and healthy.
Toilet
When you want to keep your toilet clean and free from bugs,
you may well use chemicals in the form of disinfectants,
and when you flush the toilet, the waste goes via the drainage system
for water and
sewage treatment.
Cabinet
What do you keep in your bathroom
cabinet? There's a good chance that many of the items in there will contain
chemicals. Perhaps you have a bottle of antiseptic
and some painkiller (analgesic)
tablets in there? There may even be some antibiotics
obtained on prescription if someone in the house has an infection. Does
someone wear contact
lenses? These might also be in the cabinet, along with make-up.
Cosmetics
and make-up use a variety of materials such as talc, hydrocarbon waxes,
natural and synthetic pigments, and binders and flow agents such as silicones
and ethanolamines. Solvents used include alcohols, ketones and esters.
The use of synthetic fragrances, often based on aldehyde and ketone molecules
such as muscone, reduces the slaughtering of animals for their scents.
Shelf
The shelf in your bathroom is probably covered with bottles
and tubes containing chemicals, from deodorants
and after-shave, to talcum
powder and shampoo (a formulated detergent).
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