Chlorinated
paraffin
A family of complex mixtures that are formed in the petrol distillation process.
They are used widely in industry but also found in paints, plastics, the manufacture
of candles and as a fire retardant in clothes. Proper testing into their effect
on humans hasn’t been carried out but they are believed to have an adverse
reaction in people exposed to them, especially the short chain variety. They
have been found to cause tumours in rodents, irreparable damage in fish and
are slow to biodegrade whereby low levels of them are often found in the environment.