For decades, water disinfection has only one name: chlorine. This substance is so good at killing bacteria that cities all over the world use it to clean water from the sewage so it will be safe for drinking again. Pools are often treated with chlorine in order to keep the water free of disease causing bacteria and make it safe for swimming. However, despite its efficiency as a disinfectant, many pool owners are now searching for alternatives to chlorine. This is because chlorine has several drawbacks.
Disadvantages of Using Chlorine
The first drawback of chlorine has something to do with its caustic nature. When the amount of chlorine present in the pool goes beyond the safe level, some swimmers may experience eye irritation, which could get worse if not treated. There are also complains about skin irritation, swimmers ears and brittle hair after swimming in chlorinated water. The fumes that fill the air when chlorine escapes from the water could also cause many people to experience difficulty breathing. In addition, research shows that too much swimming in water treated with this substance can increase the chances of developing asthma. If the health risks are not enough to convince anyone to let go of chlorine, the next paragraph surely will.
The second, reason many people are now looking for chlorine alternatives is what it does to the environment. Research shows that the production and use of chlorine endangers sea life. This chemical is also blamed as a cause for the thinning of the ozone layer. This and the health risk it poses are the reasons that the search for other effective water disinfectants is going full speed. Now, the use of chlorine to clean swimming pools has slowed down. This is because of the discovery of more environment-friendly ways to disinfect pools such as using copper/silver ionization system. By using silvers, bacteria killing ability and coppers ability to kill algae, this system can ensure the cleanness of the pool without using any dangerous chemicals.
Chroline-free Systems that are Environment-friendly
Technologies like copper and silver ionization systems are a great leap towards keeping our environment healthy. For many years, people have been deceived to think that such simple actions, as using chlorine on our water to cancel the risk of disease have no bad effects. This technology can surely help slow degrading the environment and ensure that the future generations will inherit a healthy planet.
To sum it all up, chlorine is a very dangerous toxic chemical. In the past its use as water disinfectant is justified simply because there were no reliable alternative. Now, that there are better, cleaner and more environment friendly ways of water treatment, it is time stop using this chemical to avoid the health and environmental hazard it brings.
