Any chemical providing a bleaching (decolorization) effect such as required in the textile industry for bleaching raw cotton, in the paper industry and in laundry detergents. Bleaching chemicals include hydrogen peroxide and sources of hydrogen peroxide such as sodium perborates and sodium percarbonate, hypochlorite (household 'bleach'), dichlorine and chlorine dioxide. Only the hydrogen peroxide-based chemicals are used in laundry detergents.