The Danger of Using Toilet Paper

The Danger of Using Toilet Paper

If increased hygiene and feeling fresh with less irritated skin don't appeal to you, consider this, Americans use around 8 million tons of toilet paper every year and forests are disappearing to keep up with this demand. Here is what is reported by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC):

"Giant paper producers are forcing the destruction of our continent's most vibrant forests, and devastating the habitat for countless wildlife species in the process.
Instead of making better use of materials such as post-consumer recycled fiber and agricultural residue to meet the escalating demand for toilet paper, paper towels and other disposable tissue products, these companies buy virgin pulp from suppliers that reach deep into North American forests for timber, from northern Canada to the southeastern United States."

If every US household replaced even one roll of virgin fiber toilet paper with one made from 100% recycled fibers, 423,900 trees would be saved. However, even toilet paper that comes from specialty tree plantations is not a sustainable choice in the long run, as these single-species plantations cannot compare with the species-rich forests that have formed a natural habitat for centuries.

Aside from the danger of destroying the forests, there is a bigger danger that comes from the process of bleaching toilet paper white, these cancer causing chemicals not only enter the air but also waterways, soil, and the food chain. Exposure to even low levels of dioxins have been linked to hormone alterations, immune system impairments, reduced fertility, birth defects, and other reproductive problems.

Lastly, the amount of water involved in the process of producing toilet paper is massive! Making a single roll of toilet paper requires 37 gallons of water. 
is it not appealing yet?

We should all take a part in saving the environment  by reducing the use of toilet paper.