Everything You Need to Know About Chlorine

showering in chlorinated water is more dangerous than drinking it

“Taking a warm shower or lounging in a tub filled with hot chlorinated water, one inhales chloroform.” Researchers recorded increases in chloroform concentration in bathers’ lungs of about 2.7 ppb after a 10-minute shower. Worse, warm water causes the skin to act like a sponge; and so one will absorb and inhale more chlorine in a 10-minute shower than by drinking eight glasses of the same water.”

“Showering in chlorinated water could be even more dangerous than ingesting chlorine via glass of water.”

chlorinated water leads to skin imperfections and diseases, acne, rashes, dry skin and wrinkles

“Chlorine causes skin irritation, burns and necrosis (holes) in the skin or underlying tissues.”

“Chlorinated water, particularly at high temperatures, poses special risks for wrinkles.”

“When you shower, heat opens your pores and allows the chlorine to seep into your skin. Chlorine strips the skin of its natural oils and causes it to dry and crack, which can lead to wrinkles.”

chlorine leads to asthma and other respiratory problems

“Free chlorine attacks the mucous membranes of the nose and throat. When it is breathed in large quantities it causes serious congestion of lung tissues, and in extreme cases may cause death. A number of organic chlorine compounds have been found to be a hazard to health.”

“Chlorine causes breathing difficulty (from inhalation), throat swelling (may also cause breathing difficulty), severe pain in the throat, pain or burning in the nose, eyes, ears, lips, or tongue.”

“Most chlorine exposures occur via inhalation. Low level exposures to chlorine in air will cause eye/skin/airway irritation, sore throat and cough. Chlorine’s odor provides adequate early warning of its presence, but also causes olfactory fatigue or adaptation, reducing awareness of one’s prolonged exposure at low concentrations. At higher levels of exposure, signs and symptoms may progress to chest tightness, wheezing, dyspnea, and bronchospasm. Severe exposures may result in non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema, which may be delayed for several hours.”

“Chlorine irritates the eyes, the sinuses, throat, skin and lungs, dries the hair and scalp, worsening dandruff and leads to arthritis and headaches.”

chlorine causes dandruff, hair breakage and hair loss

“One of several studies on the topic was published in 2000 in the journal Dermatology. In that study, a team of researchers examined 67 professional swimmers and 54 non-swimmers. The researchers found that 61 percent of the swimmers showed signs of hair discoloration, compared with none of the non-swimmers. The scientists also found that the hair discoloration coincided with surface damage of the swimmers’ nail plates, apparently due to chlorine.”