At the request of environmentalists, who are calling for awareness and a rethink of the use of toilet paper, a group of scientists from the United States is now joining. What about this area of ​​personal hygiene, does it have a future?

These scientists are from the University of Florida and “have decided to investigate the environmental risk that this cleaning product actually poses,” reported the newspaper El Debate midweek.

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What do they say about toilet paper?

The best quality and softest, it was noted about four years ago, comes from coniferous trees such as pine and spruce, El Universo reported in 2019.

It is known that cellulose is needed in the elaboration. “But if we want it extra soft, a higher percentage of new plant fiber is needed,” the aforementioned site recalls.

In Healthy Environment they explain that “cotton fiber represents the purest natural form of cellulose as it contains 90% of this carbohydrate.

It is the raw material for paper and fabrics made from natural fibres. Toilet paper, paper napkins or rolls that can be found in many offices have this component in their DNA”.

The bright properties of cellulose are absorbency and softness, so important in toilet paper.

Environmentalists, knowledgeable on the subject, “seem to have it (on paper) in their sights because of the environmental impact it generates.

Scientists in Florida conclude that “it may be a source of potentially hazardous health chemicals” and, according to El Debate, have discovered “eternal pollutants.”

Experts indicated so more than a month ago potentially cancer-causing chemicals they were found in toilet paper sold in several countries.

Experts say toilet paper is a global source of toxins linked to infertility and cancer

And… do you have a replacement?

There is a high demand for toilet paper. In fact, it is one of the first products, along with bottled water, to “disappear” from the shelves when they announce hurricanes, for example.

That product, you will remember your pictures, “flew” from supermarkets in the United States at the start of the covid-19 pandemic and the “quarantine” or confinement.

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If the estimate that the paper could have its “days numbered” is maintained, what will be used?

Well, the proposal is tentative to use the soap and water duo to clean intimate areas.

The aforementioned medium points out that soap and water are increasingly recommended by doctors “because it avoids redness and irritation”.

Alternatives have been considered for a long time. There was talk of a portable bidet and the proposing of “smart toilets” long before the pandemic.