"Fascinating" -- as Spock would say.

Two points... First, the process /is/ patentable. Perhaps he meant that, for
some reason (perhaps other people did most of the work), he and his cohorts
could not patent it.

It's possible that that there's enough prior art to prevent this
process from being patented. Hydrogen peroxide has been used as a
bleach for a long time, and the addition of a thickening agent and an
activator such as "Oxy" may not be sufficiently novel to allow for a
useful patent.

Second... Since when is hydrogen peroxide a hazardous substance (in the US,
anyway)? When I use mouthwash, I add a bit of peroxide. My mouth is in fine
shape.

It's really a matter of concentration.

Household hydrogen peroxide is only a 3% solution (in water). Even at
that concentration, it's strong enough to "burn" the mouth tissues
somewhat if you use it right out of the bottle. I usually dilute it
1:1 with tap water or mouthwash, so the resulting solution is only
1.5% peroxide.

In higher concentrations, hydrogen peroxide can be distinctly
hazardous. It's an oxidizer and (as a result) a bleach, and when
brought into contact with oxidizable materials it can result in a
sudden chemical reaction that releases a lot of heat. And, as noted
in the retr0bright pages, it can cause chemical burns all by itself.
If you splash the 12% stuff around, and get a drop in your eye, you'll
probably be in a world of hurt (literally).

--
Dave Platt AE6EO
Friends of Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
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