 Calcium chloride is included as an additive in plastics and in fire extinguishers, in wastewater treatment as a drainage aid, in blast furnaces as an additive to control scaffolding (clumping and adhesion of materials that prevent the furnace charge from descending), and in fabric softener as a thinner.The exothermic dissolution of calcium chloride is used in self-heating cans and heating pads.In the oil industry, calcium chloride is used to increase the density of solids-free brines.