Chlorine in drinking water and its health effects

It’s definitely healthier, provided it actually comes from a spring like they claim... which, let's be honest, isn't always the case 🙄. I mean, half the time bottled water is basically just tap water poured into a fancy container 😁. Of course, they shouldn't be doing that, but then again, we can't really complain about the amount of pesticides or hormones in our food either—it's kind of an open secret at this point. I've heard it from plenty of experts over the years, so I tend to believe it's true
. I actually noticed a huge difference in the taste when I first tried Jane's brand. Back when it launched, you could tell it was high-quality spring water; it had this distinctively soft quality that set it apart. Now? I can barely tell the difference between it and the stuff coming out of my kitchen faucet, at least not with the version they're selling here in the States 🤷
. I guess that's just how the business works; once you build up enough popularity, you can pretty much sell whatever you want 😁
.

Don't be so naive! And who on earth is claiming ozone disinfection hasn't been tested? There are plenty of studies out there. Look, tap water is perfectly safe to drink—you can chug it all day long without a single worry. That "evil" residual chlorine people freak out about after treatment? It’s at such ridiculously low concentrations that you seriously have nothing to worry about. Plus, just do the math on how much you'd be burning through if you bought bottled water by the gallon! But hey, if you want to throw your money away, go for it. It's your cash, spend it however you like... it just drives me nuts seeing these aggressive ads that basically insinuate tap water is bad, unsafe, or even toxic. What a joke.

Tyler Morgan3 said:Don't be so naive! And who on earth is claiming ozone disinfection hasn't been tested? There are plenty of studies out there. Look, tap water is perfectly safe to drink—you can chug it all day long without a single worry. That "evil" residual chlorine people freak out about after treatment? It’s at such ridiculously low concentrations that you seriously have nothing to worry about. Plus, just do the math on how much you'd be burning through if you bought bottled water by the gallon! But hey, if you want to throw your money away, go for it. It's your cash, spend it however you like... it just drives me nuts seeing these aggressive ads that basically insinuate tap water is bad, unsafe, or even toxic. What a joke.

From what I've gathered, ozone disinfection is actually quite well-established and backed by plenty of research 😁...plus, ozone is generally considered less harmful than chlorine and doesn't linger in the water nearly as much..
if the chlorine levels are truly that incredibly low, then why does my water almost look milky white whenever I pour it into a glass? If those concentrations are supposed to be so low, 😁

Timothy Vaughn44 said:From what I've gathered, ozone disinfection is actually quite well-established and backed by plenty of research 😁...plus, ozone is generally considered less harmful than chlorine and doesn't linger in the water nearly as much..
if the chlorine levels are truly that incredibly low, then why does my water almost look milky white whenever I pour it into a glass? If those concentrations are supposed to be so low, 😁

Let’s look at it this way... kids, you're out here trying to balance chlorine against limescale like it's some high-stakes chemistry experiment. 🙄
Do you all seriously need me to walk you through elementary chemistry?
The OP starts off claiming they can taste chlorine, then pivots to talking about limescale buildup, and then somehow circles right back to the chlorine thing again. For heaven's sake, pick a lane and stay in it. Just decide what you're actually talking about.

Timothy Vaughn44—where on earth did you read or hear that chlorine turns water white? Seriously.
Take a good, hard look at everything I just laid out above and try to figure out why your water is coming out cloudy on your own. Or do I seriously need to sit down and draw you a diagram?

I can’t stand any of that bottled water, honestly. It always feels way too soft for me.🤷
Around here, the tap water usually comes out looking white and super bubbly, which makes me think
it’s either from insane water pressure or maybe just all the mineral buildup?
We get pretty decent spring water naturally sourced from the woods nearby.
But now, I heard from a really reliable source that the chlorine dispenser
has been broken for ages. Apparently, someone from the local Water Department just shows up once a week and dumps
some massive amount of chlorine straight in there.😕 I guess since the city claims they don't have the budget for actual repairs.
So, how does this even work? Who am I supposed to report this to, if you can even report something like this???

Carol Parker said:I can’t stand any of that bottled water, honestly. It always feels way too soft for me.🤷
Around here, the tap water usually comes out looking white and super bubbly, which makes me think
it’s either from insane water pressure or maybe just all the mineral buildup?
We get pretty decent spring water naturally sourced from the woods nearby.
But now, I heard from a really reliable source that the chlorine dispenser
has been broken for ages. Apparently, someone from the local Water Department just shows up once a week and dumps
some massive amount of chlorine straight in there.😕 I guess since the city claims they don't have the budget for actual repairs.
So, how does this even work? Who am I supposed to report this to, if you can even report something like this???

The health inspectors have officially arrived.

Timothy Vaughn44 said:There actually is a better—and much healthier—way to go about it, which would be using ozone disinfection, but honestly, for us regular folks, that's just way too expensive to pull off on our own.😁 🙄

Look, using ozone to disinfect water is certainly a step up from relying on chlorine, isn't it? But if we're talking about what’s truly optimal and healthiest, nothing beats UV light treatment. Of course, both methods come with their own set of headaches—specifically when you factor in the massive overhead costs and the actual volume of water you can process—so, really, where does that leave us?😁

gentlehound9 said:Let’s look at it this way... kids, you're out here trying to balance chlorine against limescale like it's some high-stakes chemistry experiment. 🙄
Do you all seriously need me to walk you through elementary chemistry?
The OP starts off claiming they can taste chlorine, then pivots to talking about limescale buildup, and then somehow circles right back to the chlorine thing again. For heaven's sake, pick a lane and stay in it. Just decide what you're actually talking about.

Timothy Vaughn44—where on earth did you read or hear that chlorine turns water white? Seriously.
Take a good, hard look at everything I just laid out above and try to figure out why your water is coming out cloudy on your own. Or do I seriously need to sit down and draw you a diagram?

I’m talking about chlorine here, though if you’re under the impression that those white flakes floating in the water are just limescale evaporating away, then I might have slightly misread our conversation! 😕Honestly, I’d just go back and re-read whatever source taught you that in the first place... because if you think those little bubbles rising up are just air, you might be mistaken. It could easily be chlorine, and there's really no way to tell for sure just by looking. Some of it stays trapped in the water anyway. Look, I’m not trying to jump to any conclusions about what you know or don't know, but I haven't seen anything written anywhere that supports what you're saying.Hey there! Just popping in to say hello.It’s just pure logic, really... and honestly, I actually learned all about the chlorine in our water and how its organic compounds can turn into carcinogens once they're inside the body from my microbiology professor back in college! ☕
Whether we're talking about a tiny trace or a massive amount, honestly, it doesn't even matter that much... any concentration at all is enough to trigger cancer. one So, I was just thinking about that one specific molecule that managed to mess with our DNA—you know, the kind of thing where our bodies just completely missed the chance to step in and fix the damage before it caused trouble. It’s a little humbling, honestly, realizing how much can slip past our internal repair crews without us even noticing!

Susan Harris4 said:Look, using ozone to disinfect water is certainly a step up from relying on chlorine, isn't it? But if we're talking about what’s truly optimal and healthiest, nothing beats UV light treatment. Of course, both methods come with their own set of headaches—specifically when you factor in the massive overhead costs and the actual volume of water you can process—so, really, where does that leave us?😁

You've got a point there... but honestly, if we aren't worried about the price tag, I don't think anyone is going to argue with how much water we're getting. 😁

Timothy Vaughn44 said:You've got a point there... but honestly, if we aren't worried about the price tag, I don't think anyone is going to argue with how much water we're getting. 😁

😁😁

Timothy Vaughn44 said:I’m talking about chlorine here, though if you’re under the impression that those white flakes floating in the water are just limescale evaporating away, then I might have slightly misread our conversation! 😕Honestly, I’d just go back and re-read whatever source taught you that in the first place... because if you think those little bubbles rising up are just air, you might be mistaken. It could easily be chlorine, and there's really no way to tell for sure just by looking. Some of it stays trapped in the water anyway. Look, I’m not trying to jump to any conclusions about what you know or don't know, but I haven't seen anything written anywhere that supports what you're saying.Hey there! Just popping in to say hello.It’s just pure logic, really... and honestly, I actually learned all about the chlorine in our water and how its organic compounds can turn into carcinogens once they're inside the body from my microbiology professor back in college! ☕
Whether we're talking about a tiny trace or a massive amount, honestly, it doesn't even matter that much... any concentration at all is enough to trigger cancer. one So, I was just thinking about that one specific molecule that managed to mess with our DNA—you know, the kind of thing where our bodies just completely missed the chance to step in and fix the damage before it caused trouble. It’s a little humbling, honestly, realizing how much can slip past our internal repair crews without us even noticing!

Hey, I really hope you don't think that white residue evaporating is actually chlorine. I also hope your microbiology professor mentioned that chlorine is actually a yellow gas.

Also, UV disinfection or ozone treatment (there's plenty to say about the dangers of ozone, too) isn't free, which is why it isn't used everywhere. The whole point of a municipal water system isn't just to disinfect the water at one single station; it's to add a disinfectant that stays in the residual supply and works its way through the entire pipe network. That's how we ensure the water coming out of your tap doesn't get contaminated along the way. Sure, chlorine isn't a perfect solution, but right now, it's the most practical option we have.

feralwolf24 said:Hey, I really hope you don't think that white residue evaporating is actually chlorine. I also hope your microbiology professor mentioned that chlorine is actually a yellow gas.

Also, UV disinfection or ozone treatment (there's plenty to say about the dangers of ozone, too) isn't free, which is why it isn't used everywhere. The whole point of a municipal water system isn't just to disinfect the water at one single station; it's to add a disinfectant that stays in the residual supply and works its way through the entire pipe network. That's how we ensure the water coming out of your tap doesn't get contaminated along the way. Sure, chlorine isn't a perfect solution, but right now, it's the most practical option we have.

What kind of nonsense are you talking about? 😁😁 Sure, chlorine gas is a yellowish-green gas, but when we disinfect water, we use solid granules, which are white!
Lol, residual chlorine acts as a secondary line of defense for disinfection—who on earth told you otherwise? Haha! Seeing residual chlorine is actually a sign that they should stop adding more granules, meaning there is enough chlorine in the water to have already wiped out all the existing coliform bacteria. And that whole argument about the taps is nothing short of ridiculous. 😁😁

feralwolf24 said:Hey, I really hope you don't think that white residue evaporating is actually chlorine. I also hope your microbiology professor mentioned that chlorine is actually a yellow gas.

Also, UV disinfection or ozone treatment (there's plenty to say about the dangers of ozone, too) isn't free, which is why it isn't used everywhere. The whole point of a municipal water system isn't just to disinfect the water at one single station; it's to add a disinfectant that stays in the residual supply and works its way through the entire pipe network. That's how we ensure the water coming out of your tap doesn't get contaminated along the way. Sure, chlorine isn't a perfect solution, but right now, it's the most practical option we have.

I’d love to know where you went to school (if you even did go!) 😁...because I'm struggling to see how yellow-green chlorine gas has anything to do with those little micro-bubbles evaporating from the water. The water looks milky because of the air bubbles, not because of whatever happens inside them.
->"Milky water refers to the cloudy appearance of tap water, which happens when tiny air bubbles are present."
And please, tell me, have you ever actually seen gaseous chlorine in person?..
If it's impossible to use ozone for municipal water, then I'm dying to know how they manage to pull it off in other developed countries. 🤔
Ozone might be a concern if you're putting it directly into your mouth (I think I heard something about that in dental studies once), but otherwise, it's unstable and just breaks down into oxygen, so I don't really see it being a huge danger...though I'm not an expert so I won't get bogged down in that debate. UV is definitely the safest route, but I'm just not sure how scalable it is for a massive city water grid...maybe in a hundred years, if we're lucky enough to still be around, we'll finally have the budget for it. 😁

Timothy Vaughn44 said:I’d love to know where you went to school (if you even did go!) 😁...because I'm struggling to see how yellow-green chlorine gas has anything to do with those little micro-bubbles evaporating from the water. The water looks milky because of the air bubbles, not because of whatever happens inside them.
->"Milky water refers to the cloudy appearance of tap water, which happens when tiny air bubbles are present."
And please, tell me, have you ever actually seen gaseous chlorine in person?..
If it's impossible to use ozone for municipal water, then I'm dying to know how they manage to pull it off in other developed countries. 🤔
Ozone might be a concern if you're putting it directly into your mouth (I think I heard something about that in dental studies once), but otherwise, it's unstable and just breaks down into oxygen, so I don't really see it being a huge danger...though I'm not an expert so I won't get bogged down in that debate. UV is definitely the safest route, but I'm just not sure how scalable it is for a massive city water grid...maybe in a hundred years, if we're lucky enough to still be around, we'll finally have the budget for it. 😁

Ozone is a double-edged sword, isn't it? When you're dealing with high concentrations, it becomes incredibly dangerous, yet when kept at low levels, it remains perfectly harmless.
While UV treatment is certainly an option for water purification, we have to confront the fundamental limitation regarding throughput. Since the process relies on a very thin layer of water passing through the UV lamps to ensure effective exposure, the actual volume of treated water remains quite low. Doesn't that essentially cap its utility? As it stands, UV technology would be perfectly suitable for smaller communities or individual apartment complexes, but on a larger scale, it just doesn't move enough volume to be a primary solution. 😁😁

Susan Harris4 said:Ozone is a double-edged sword, isn't it? When you're dealing with high concentrations, it becomes incredibly dangerous, yet when kept at low levels, it remains perfectly harmless.
While UV treatment is certainly an option for water purification, we have to confront the fundamental limitation regarding throughput. Since the process relies on a very thin layer of water passing through the UV lamps to ensure effective exposure, the actual volume of treated water remains quite low. Doesn't that essentially cap its utility? As it stands, UV technology would be perfectly suitable for smaller communities or individual apartment complexes, but on a larger scale, it just doesn't move enough volume to be a primary solution. 😁😁

I was reading online that when you use ozone for disinfecting water, it breaks down into oxygen really fast, which would mean by the time the water actually reaches people's taps, it's already gone and there's no danger left... do you happen to know anything about that? 🤷

Look, there isn't just one way to disinfect stuff. Different methods hit different microbes or contaminants differently. Chlorine—specifically chlorine dioxide—is hands down the most effective and safest bet. You add enough so that once the job is done, you’re left with a tiny bit of residual free chlorine. That leftover trace is actually proof the water is totally safe to drink; it stays in the system to keep things clean in home plumbing where old, crappy pipes usually cause issues. Ozone? That's mostly for breaking down small organic molecules that charcoal filters can't grab, and it's really meant for low volumes or specific flow rates. For a massive place like New York City, it’s totally unnecessary and a waste of cash. As for those chlorine tablets or granules you see? That's basically Isosan, which you can pick up at a pharmacy for private wells or backyard cisterns. With that stuff, you have to be precise with the dosage based on how much water is in your tank. It is absolutely NOT what they use for municipal water systems! And UV disinfection? Not practical for huge amounts of water like a city's main supply. You'd have to overhaul the entire reservoir area and the city grid, which would send your water bill through the roof. In New York City, the water gets disinfected effectively, and they use other treatments depending on where the water comes from. The amount of residual chlorine is strictly regulated by federal laws and health standards (just Google the EPA guidelines in The New York Times if you don't believe me!). They measure it right on-site, so there's zero chance of it being too high or tasting weird. I'm curious though, where exactly are people seeing this "milky" water, and what is the health inspector saying about it? If you're genuinely worried about your tap, just pay for a professional lab test at your own house. You get to pick exactly which parameters they test for. And for all the skeptics who still insist the water isn't clean? Go ahead, head to the grocery store and choose from the endless aisles of bottled water. Or go buy one of those activated carbon filters and convince yourself there's something in the water that needs removing... just don't forget to change those filters constantly (even more often than the manual says), otherwise, you'll just end up testing the gunk that's been SITTING in the filter itself!

Timothy Vaughn44 said:I was reading online that when you use ozone for disinfecting water, it breaks down into oxygen really fast, which would mean by the time the water actually reaches people's taps, it's already gone and there's no danger left... do you happen to know anything about that? 🤷

It’s true; ozone is extremely unstable within the lower layers of the atmosphere.

Susan Harris4 said:What kind of nonsense are you talking about? 😁😁 Sure, chlorine gas is a yellowish-green gas, but when we disinfect water, we use solid granules, which are white!
Lol, residual chlorine acts as a secondary line of defense for disinfection—who on earth told you otherwise? Haha! Seeing residual chlorine is actually a sign that they should stop adding more granules, meaning there is enough chlorine in the water to have already wiped out all the existing coliform bacteria. And that whole argument about the taps is nothing short of ridiculous. 😁😁

:-))))))). Sure, obviously. Granules :-))) And at every treatment plant, you just find Joe standing there with a shovel, tossing in handfuls of granules :-))))

Timothy Vaughn44 said:I’d love to know where you went to school (if you even did go!) 😁...because I'm struggling to see how yellow-green chlorine gas has anything to do with those little micro-bubbles evaporating from the water. The water looks milky because of the air bubbles, not because of whatever happens inside them.
->"Milky water refers to the cloudy appearance of tap water, which happens when tiny air bubbles are present."
And please, tell me, have you ever actually seen gaseous chlorine in person?..
If it's impossible to use ozone for municipal water, then I'm dying to know how they manage to pull it off in other developed countries. 🤔
Ozone might be a concern if you're putting it directly into your mouth (I think I heard something about that in dental studies once), but otherwise, it's unstable and just breaks down into oxygen, so I don't really see it being a huge danger...though I'm not an expert so I won't get bogged down in that debate. UV is definitely the safest route, but I'm just not sure how scalable it is for a massive city water grid...maybe in a hundred years, if we're lucky enough to still be around, we'll finally have the budget for it. 😁

I don't have a college degree. Especially not in chemical engineering or tech. And I definitely haven't spent seven years designing industrial water purification systems :-))) Oh, and I've never actually seen pure chlorine in person, let alone made it myself :-))).
By the way, those "microbubbles" you mentioned... I assume they come from chlorine granules? They're white, after all :-))). Surely they have nothing to do with air, water stability, or anything like that?

Tyler Morgan3 said:Look, there isn't just one way to disinfect stuff. Different methods hit different microbes or contaminants differently. Chlorine—specifically chlorine dioxide—is hands down the most effective and safest bet. You add enough so that once the job is done, you’re left with a tiny bit of residual free chlorine. That leftover trace is actually proof the water is totally safe to drink; it stays in the system to keep things clean in home plumbing where old, crappy pipes usually cause issues. Ozone? That's mostly for breaking down small organic molecules that charcoal filters can't grab, and it's really meant for low volumes or specific flow rates. For a massive place like New York City, it’s totally unnecessary and a waste of cash. As for those chlorine tablets or granules you see? That's basically Isosan, which you can pick up at a pharmacy for private wells or backyard cisterns. With that stuff, you have to be precise with the dosage based on how much water is in your tank. It is absolutely NOT what they use for municipal water systems! And UV disinfection? Not practical for huge amounts of water like a city's main supply. You'd have to overhaul the entire reservoir area and the city grid, which would send your water bill through the roof. In New York City, the water gets disinfected effectively, and they use other treatments depending on where the water comes from. The amount of residual chlorine is strictly regulated by federal laws and health standards (just Google the EPA guidelines in The New York Times if you don't believe me!). They measure it right on-site, so there's zero chance of it being too high or tasting weird. I'm curious though, where exactly are people seeing this "milky" water, and what is the health inspector saying about it? If you're genuinely worried about your tap, just pay for a professional lab test at your own house. You get to pick exactly which parameters they test for. And for all the skeptics who still insist the water isn't clean? Go ahead, head to the grocery store and choose from the endless aisles of bottled water. Or go buy one of those activated carbon filters and convince yourself there's something in the water that needs removing... just don't forget to change those filters constantly (even more often than the manual says), otherwise, you'll just end up testing the gunk that's been SITTING in the filter itself!

Thanks, Tyler Morgan3. Just a tiny correction here. Chlorine dioxide has some great marketing behind it, but you don't see it used everywhere. A lot of plants tried switching over, but it didn't really stick; many went back to standard chlorine or hypochlorite (which just turns back into chlorine anyway through disproportionation). The main reason people move away from chlorine dioxide so fast is how quickly it breaks down and the byproducts it leaves behind, like chlorates.
Regarding ozone, it's commonly used for oxidation. Around here, we mostly use it to get rid of iron or to oxidize Arsen to make it easier to remove, since you can't pull out Arsen in its 3+ form. A lot of places still use permanganate instead of ozone for that. Ozone is actually perfect for drinking water plants dealing with high organic matter, like humic or fulvic acids, because even small doses can help break those down. We have to be pretty careful with dosing since it's so unstable (we stay under 3 mg/L O3 here), especially since studies on how it affects water chemistry aren't fully settled yet.