i was reading the portland tribune article about chemical plant vulnerabilities. there is a chart of chemicals and the dangers they posess. one listed chemical was "chlorine dioxide". chlorine dioxide is used as a pesticide, but also used in the processing of wheat - aka "bleached flour".

Quoting the EPA: "In 1967, EPA first registered the liquid form of chlorine dioxide for use as a disinfectant and sanitizer. In 1988, EPA registered chlorine dioxide gas as a sterilant." The EPA goes on to define: A "sanitizer" is a substance that significantly reduces the bacterial population in the inanimate environment, but does not destroy or eliminate all bacteria or other microorganisms.

  A "disinfectant" is a substance that destroys or eliminates a specific species of infectious or other public health microorganism, but not necessarily bacterial spores, in the inanimate environment.

 A "sterilant" is a substance that destroys or eliminates all forms of microbial life in the inanimate environment, including all forms of vegetative bacteria, bacterial spores, fungi, fungal spores, and viruses.

googling around i found this interesting story. The faltering quality of bread. "Bread has been referred to as the staff of life, but that was before the advent of modern production techniques. In the early days of milling, flour was produced by crushing the whole grain between stone rollers. The stone rollers were usually driven by wind, water or oxen power and moved slowly without generating heat. Vitamins and minerals are easily destroyed by heat, but the cold crushing techniques of times past guaranteed most of the nutrients, including the germ, were retained.

Not so today. Flour is milled by discarding the germ and the cellulose outer layer and crushing the grain between high speed steel rollers. Unlike the course ground whole grain flour produced by stone grinding, the flour we eat today is an extremely fine white powder. This the miller achieves by subjecting the grain to multiple crushing in a series of machines each with progressively finer roller settings. The heat generate by the steel rollers is capable of destroying any vitamins and minerals normally found in the grain, producing a finished product of lifeless off-white starch. "

It looks like people who live near paper mills dont like chlorine dioxide either. "People interesting in clean pulp and paper production."

"For the last three months, communities across the United States have been rallying public support for the adoption of Totally Chlorine Free (TCF) bleaching in the pulp and paper industry. The lobby effort is impressive in its coherence, geographical distribution, and social solidarity. The plea for support is in response to new proposed rules by the EPA that will allow continued organochlorine pollution from pulp and paper mills.

Both options under review by EPA will allow chlorine-based chemicals, primarily chlorine dioxide, to be used in the bleaching process. The Clean Water Act mandates that the best technology available be adopted to achieve zero discharge of toxic pollutants. TCF is the only technology that allows pulp mills to totally "close the loop" on water discharges.

In their 1995 reassessment of these pollutants, EPA scientists warned that minute exposures to organochlorines like dioxins and furans, can lead to cancer, and severely harm the immune, developmental and reproductive systems of humans. Wildlife populations are also at risk. These potent chemicals persist in the environment, bioaccumulate through the food chain, and disrupt, mimic, and block hormone systems."