How to Remove Chlorine in Drinking Water
What is Chlorine
According to the Department of Health, New York state, “Chlorine (Cl2) is among the ten highest volume chemicals manufactured in the United States. It is produced commercially by electrolysis of sodium chloride brine. Chlorine is used in industry and in household cleaning products. Chlorine was also the first poison gas to be used as a weapon during World War I.”
Chlorine is a yellow-green gas at room temperature and a strong oxidizing agent useful for treating water. It is heavier than air, has a strong, irritating smell, and becomes slightly dissoluble in water. Its disinfecting property is highly useful in water purification and sanitation processes for sewage and industrial waste, as well as in removing algae and other forms of aquatic life from the water. Additionally, as an oxidant in drinking water treatment, it alters Arsenic3 AS3 into AS, which is more easily removed. Similarly Soluble Iron and manganese are changed into insoluble particulates and are more easily removed.
Why is it used in Drinking Water?
Raw water from lakes, groundwater, and water bodies usually have microorganisms. These microorganisms or Pathogens are harmful to human health and may cause some diseases. They are transmitted through drinking water to human bodies and may cause waterborne health concerns like diarrhea, cramps, nausea, vomiting, headaches, fever, fatigue, and more. These waterborne diseases could be a real challenge for humans, so various disinfection and sanitation methods have been used to inactivate pathogens and prevent these health issues. Chlorine has a disinfectant property that makes it perfect for water purification and the sanitation process makes it available for public consumption.
Chlorination of water
Chlorination is one of the methods to disinfect water along with other water treatment processes that use various types of chlorine or chlorine-containing substances. The advantage of Chlorination is that it has been proven to be highly effective against bacteria and viruses, except some protozoan cysts are resistant to it. It simply damages the cell membrane of microorganisms to get into the cell and disrupts cell respiration and DNA activity to inactive it. Chlorination is widely popular and effective as it is an easy process and can work quickly in any water emergency situation. Chlorination of drinking water for the purpose of sanitation was one of the greatest advancements in public health, saving countless lives and paving the way for modern society.
Health Effects of Chlorine in Drinking Water
Chlorine is harmful for microorganisms and pathogens but for humans too. Side effects of chlorine in drinking water are due to the high concentration of chlorine. In the sanitation process, they usually use a very low concentration of chlorine which gives an acute exposure which is harmless.
According to the Department of Health, New York State, “ingestion of chlorine dissolved in water (e.g., sodium hypochlorite or household bleach) will cause corrosive tissue damage of the gastrointestinal tract. Chlorinated water has been associated with increased risk of bladder, colon, and rectal cancer.”
The Minnesota Department of Health also says, “Some people who are very sensitive to chlorine could experience skin irritation.” But, this is a rare situation.
Testing Chlorine Levels in Drinking Water
The World Health Organization (WHO) defined a method to measure Chlorine in drinking water. The WHO’s “Measuring chlorine levels in water supplies” found DPD (diethyl paraphenylene
diamine) indicator test as the simplest and quickest way. It explains “A tablet of dpd is added to a sample of water, coloring it red. The strength of color is measured against standard colors on a chart to determine the chlorine concentration. The stronger the color, the higher the concentration of chlorine in the water.” It is suggested that chlorine concentration be tested in the piped water supplies where continuous chlorination is most commonly used to filter the water. The use of chlorine causes a slight change in the taste and a strong smell. However, over time, it gets stable, and then any tastes or smells will go away easily.
Effective methods for removing chlorine from water
If the taste or smell of water changes after chlorine use or Chlorination, then there are a couple of ways to get rid of it. Use cold water, as cold water has fewer changes in the smell or taste. However, the most effective way is to use water filtration or Reverse Osmosis (RO) to get rid of the chlorine smell or the change in the taste. A whole house water filtration system can significantly reduce the chlorine effects and other contaminants in water throughout the home. Chlorine intake from a single hot 10-minute shower is roughly equivalent to drinking tap water all day.
What types of water filtration systems are best for chlorine removal?
Whole house carbon filtration effectively removed chlorine throughout the home, including bath and shower water. A more targeted approach is to use a shower filter in the shower and reverse osmosis water filtration system to minimize the chlorine in drinking water. RO uses a semi-permeable membrane and activated carbon filters to remove harmful contaminants, impurities, and other chemical substances from water sources. It is also effective in chlorine removal as chlorine with up to 99% removal rates when used as directed. However, it has certain limitations, depending on the water temperature, pressure, hardness, and the chlorine concentration dissolved in it.
Conclusion
Chlorination is one of the most effective and popular water purification and disinfection methods that have been used for years. It has the effective property to kill bacteria and viruses and inactivate microorganisms or Pathogens, but it has its own disadvantages and health concerns. Some water suppliers and government bodies also hesitate to use it, and some individuals get bothered by the taste and smell of the drinking water. Whole-house filtration and Reverse osmosis (RO) can effectively minimize the effect of chlorination and make it purer for drinking and bathing.