HOW DOES CHLORINE GET INTO YOUR WATER?
In 1897, Maidstone, England became the first village to have its entire water supply treated with Chlorine.
Today, Chlorination is the most common water treatment solution or method used worldwide.
Chlorine is a so-called group 7 Halogen which can be found on the right-hand side of the Periodic table. Its atomic structure is missing one electron for it to be a noble gas. Chlorine is highly reactive with metals which can provide it with the missing electron. In its gaseous form, it is a molecule or Cl2 made of two Chlorine atoms bound together into Cl2 molecules. Chlorine gas is yellow and is much heavier than air.
The most common, naturally occurring forms are salts such as Sodium Chloride or table salt.
Chlorine gas was used on the infamous day of April 22, 1915, produces a greenish-yellow cloud that smells of bleach and immediately irritates the eyes, nose, lungs, and throat of those exposed to it. At high enough doses it kills by asphyxiation. View the source.
Every day, millions of people drink chlorinated tap water in Britain.
Chlorine is used to keep our water clean. It helps disinfect water and kills germs. Chlorine also does a superb job at eliminating most harmful pathogens from the water we drink in England.
Nowadays, Chlorine is a disinfectant used by the water industry worldwide. They maintain hygienic conditions within the public water supply networks and pipes.
WHO sets the maximum guideline at 5mg/L.
The WHO further assures that any risks to health from chlorination by-products are extremely small in comparison with the risks associated with inadequate disinfection.
THE HEALTH IMPLICATIONS OF CHLORINE
A report from the U.S. Council of Environmental Quality, states that risk of cancer for people who drink Chlorinated water is up to 93% higher than for those whose water does not contain Chlorine.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Britain's and Americans now consume 300-600 times the amount of Chlorine that is safe to ingest.
WHY IS CHLORINE IN DRINKING WATER DANGEROUS?
Because when Chlorine mixes with even minute amounts of organic compounds which are very often found in water, very harmful by-products are formed. They are called Trihalomethanes (THMs). These products produce free radicals in your body, which can trigger cell damage. They are also highly carcinogenic, even when digested in small amounts.
The problems with Chlorine stem from the very reason why it’s so useful. Chlorine's ability to kill bacteria is why we add it to our public water supplies.
After Chlorine is introduced into water, it kills pathogenic bacteria. But when it’s introduced into the human body, it destroys our beneficial and necessary gut bacteria or fauna. It is here where an estimated 70% of our immune system does all the heavy lifting and work for you.
