POWER OF CHLORINE
Dear HIW,
I love the smell of chlorine, but how much of it is needed in a swimming pool? Is it dangerous to be exposed to it for too long?
Noa Zimman
Chlorine is used as a first defence against any germs that may arise in swimming pools. In a swimming pool with an optimal ph level – between 7.2 and 7.8 – chlorine can kill the majority of germs within a few minutes. When chlorine is added to a pool, a portion of it is used in disinfection. This is known as chlorine demand.
During this process, hypochlorous acid is formed – also called free chlorine residue. It’s the free chlorine residue that’s detected when reading chlorine levels in a pool. This is usually kept between one and three parts per million. Exposure to this level isn’t considered dangerous, but if you were to be exposed to chlorine levels higher than this, the increased acidity could irritate your lungs, eyes and skin.