How to choose between paper towels and handkerchiefs?

How to choose between tissue paper and handkerchief?

Public reports show that in 2022, my country's total household paper production will be about 12.6 million tons, consumption will be about 11.847 million tons, and the domestic market size will be about 157.09 billion yuan. It is the world's largest producer and consumer of household paper.

Handkerchiefs, tissues and tissue paper are essential paper products in daily life and are used every day. The reporter learned from the interview that the GB/T 20808-2022 "Tissue" national standard has been implemented on May 1 this year. More than half a year has passed. How is the "performance" of paper towels sold on the market? On November 20, the reporter visited.

In a chain supermarket on Hongcun Road, the reporter saw that the prices of various types of tissue paper ranged from about 9 yuan to more than 20 yuan. The reporter randomly selected a paper to check. Its implementation standard number is GB/T 20808 high-quality product. The main raw material is marked as 100% virgin wood pulp, and the health standard number is GB15979. The implementation standard of another brand of tissue paper is Q/VD6 premium product, and the main raw material is the same 100% virgin wood pulp.

So, how to choose a safe and healthy tissue or handkerchief? On November 20, the Environmental Food and Drug Investigation Detachment of the Weinan City Public Security Bureau reminded that you should first distinguish between paper towels and toilet paper: paper towels, namely facial tissues, handkerchiefs, and napkins used to wipe your face or mouth, have very strict hygiene requirements. The state stipulates that the bacterial content per gram shall not be higher than 200 units; the requirements for toilet paper are relatively loose, and the bacterial content per gram shall not be higher than 600 units, which is three times the standard of tissue paper.

Secondly, you can check the basic information on the outer packaging. The outer packaging of regular products must be marked with the company name, product name, address and telephone number, implementation standard number, etc. If the packaging does not indicate whether it is tissue paper or hygienic, you can check its implementation standards: tissue paper GB/T20808, toilet paper GB/T20810.

If we look at raw materials, it is generally believed that virgin wood pulp has the best quality, virgin non-wood pulp comes second, and recycled pulp has the worst quality.

Toilet paper standards allow the use of virgin pulp or recycled pulp. Virgin pulp toilet paper can be divided into superior products, first-class products and qualified products according to quality (excellent products are the best, and qualified products are the worst); while tissue paper standards require that they must be virgin pulp , the ordinary type can be divided into high-quality products and qualified products.

In this regard, Chengdu Southwest Children's Hospital also said that it can be identified by touching, soaking and smelling. Good paper towels have a soft texture, uniform and delicate quality, comfortable hand feel, no residue, and will quickly absorb water and expand, with good water absorption performance. In addition, there are usually not too many chemical additives or fragrances added, and they smell fresh and non-irritating.

When choosing paper towels, some people think that the whiter, the better. The Anhui Provincial Market Supervision Bureau also specifically pointed out that when purchasing toilet paper, you should avoid the consumer misunderstanding that "the whiter, the more hygienic". There is no inevitable connection between the whiteness of toilet paper and hygienic indicators. Excessive addition of fluorescent whitening agents may cause harm to human health.