Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) is a yellow-green gas with an odor similar to chlorine with excellent distribution, penetration and sterilization abilities due to its gaseous nature. Although chlorine dioxide has chlorine in its name, its properties are very different, much like carbon dioxide is different than elemental carbon. Chlorine dioxide has been recognized as a disinfectant since the early 1900s and has been approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for many applications. It has been demonstrated effective as a broad spectrum, anti-inflammatory, bactericidal, fungicidal, and virucidal agent, as well as a deodorizer, and also able to inactivate beta-lactams and destroy both pinworms and their eggs.

Although chlorine dioxide has “chlorine” in its name, its chemistry is radically different from that of chlorine. When reacting with other substances, it is weaker and more selective, allowing it to be a more efficient and effective sterilizer. For example, it does not react with ammonia or most organic compounds. Chlorine dioxide oxidizes products rather than chlorinating them, so unlike chlorine, chlorine dioxide will not produce environmentally undesirable organic compounds containing chlorine. Chlorine dioxide is also a visible yellow-green gas allowing it to be measured in real-time with photometric devices.

Chlorine dioxide is widely used as an antimicrobial and as an oxidizing agent in drinking water, poultry process water, swimming pools, and mouthwash preparations. It is used to sanitize fruit and vegetables and also equipment for food and beverage processing and widely used in life science research laboratories. It is also employed in the health care industry to decontaminate rooms, passthroughs, isolators and also as a sterilant for product and component sterilization. It is also extensively used to bleach, deodorize, and detoxify a wide variety of materials, including cellulose, paper-pulp, flour, leather, fats and oils, and textiles.