[steve50]

The main problem with wood pulp is the chlorine used. The hills in my area are filthy with dioxin from a sludge waste produced from this process. The Dupont family seems to love the stuff tho.

[tortoise]

The process of producing fir pulp doesn't have to be filthy by nature, though some nasty processes have been used in the past and in some cases are used today. This usually boils down to market demand and production costs. People have become accustomed to types of paper that are really difficult to make from ANYTHING without substantial chemical processing.