What Exactly is Chlorine?

Chlorine is a chemical element that belongs to the group of halogens, along with fluorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine.

In nature, chlorine is only found in combination with other chemical elements. The most important of these compounds are chlorides. The most well-known chloride is sodium chloride, which most of us know as table salt.

What is Chlorine Used For?

Chlorine is used in the industry for the production of various inorganic and organic compounds. It is also used as an oxidizing agent, bleaching agent, and most importantly, as a disinfectant.

Chlorine is used in tap water and swimming pools to disinfect the water against bacterial pathogens. The typical swimming pool «smell» is nothing more than the smell of the chlorine added to the pool water.

Why Does Tap Water Taste Like Chlorine?

All waterworks process water from various sources to produce our tap water. These sources can be groundwater, springs, or lakes.

After the water treatment process, the resulting tap water is bacteriologically pure and free from any pollutants. To maintain this bacteriological purity of the water as it travels through the pipelines to the consumer's tap, the waterworks add small amounts of chlorine at the point of exit (««chlorination»). This is done as a precautionary measure to protect the consumer.

The amounts of chlorine added vary depending on the country and region. There are specific limits prescribed by the legislation of each country. For example, in Switzerland, a maximum of 0.1 milligrams of chlorine per liter of tap water is allowed, while in Germany, this value is 0.3 milligrams per liter of tap water.

On average, waterworks add between 0.03 and 0.05 milligrams of chlorine per liter to the treated tap water at its point of exit. However, there are some exceptional cases where more chlorine is added. For example, after water pipe breaks or repairs to the pipeline network, additional amounts of chlorine are added at certain points to the tap water. This is done to exclude possible bacterial contamination. Depending on how high the milligram value of chlorine per liter of water is, a chlorine taste may develop in the drinking water.

Is Chlorine in Tap Water Harmful to Health?

In general, chlorine in the low doses used by waterworks at the point of exit of tap water is harmless to health. For this reason, the legislature has established maximum values for milligrams of chlorine per liter of tap water. Waterworks must adhere to these maximum values and are regularly monitored in this regard. Ultimately, chlorine in tap water serves to protect the consumer, as even very small amounts of chlorine have a high disinfecting effect against bacterial contamination. Bacterial contamination can cause much more harm to the consumer than the minimal amounts of chlorine added to the tap water.

Is Chlorine in Tap Water Harmful to Infants and Small Children?

Generally, the small amounts of chlorine found in tap water are also harmless to the health of babies and small children. However, some experts recommend that pregnant women and mothers of infants avoid chlorinated tap water and instead use bottled water from the supermarket. Whether regular intake of even minimally chlorinated tap water is harmless for infants and small children is disputed among some experts. In general, the lower the chlorine content in tap water, the safer it is likely to be. Other pollutants, such as heavy metals, which can also be present in tap water, play a role in this.

How High is the Chlorine Content in Our Tap Water?

The waterworks are obliged to inform the consumer immediately if the tap water is harmful to health due to high chlorine content or other contaminants.

However, you can always quickly and easily determine your water quality yourself with our water analyses.

With our proven test kits or quick water tests or our laboratory analysis for heavy metals and many other risk parameters, possible pollutants in tap water can be quickly and easily detected.