Yes, there is chlorine in your drinking water. Used to kill deadly bacteria, regular chlorine treatments are a guarantee in the U.S. water supply. You probably already know that, though. The real question is: What are the health effects of chlorine in the water supply — and what can you do about it?

Is Chlorine in the Water Supply Dangerous?

The thing to remember about our water supply is that it is carefully monitored by professionals. Maintaining a safe level of chlorine in our water is their primary job, essentially.

One of the major concerns is whether or not chlorine causes cancer — or acts as a carcinogen. While heavy concentrations of chlorine (think swimming pools or bleach) can cause injury, EPA reports do not indicate that chlorine in the water supply causes any notable health effects.

Chlorine in Drinking Water: The MAJOR Drawback

While chlorine itself doesn’t cause cancer or have any discernable health effects, chlorine can combine with organic matter during the water disinfection process to create halo acetic acids. Haloacetic acids in drinking water may actually pose a health risk, including an increased risk for cancer, notes the EPA.

The good news is that water quality analysts closely watch for the presence of halo acetic acids. If these acid counts exceed a safe level, your local government will likely alert you to the matter.

To summarize, chlorine itself isn’t a problem, but halo acetic definitely needs to go — and we can help with that with expert water conditioning services.

Chlorine and Dry Skin

Is your skin feeling itchy and irritated? As strange as it might sound, chlorine might be responsible for your dry skin. Not by drinking it, but by showering in it. Whenever you swim in a pool, you probably notice that your skin and hair feel a little dry and irritated. That’s from chlorine’s drying effect.

While a swimming pool contains more chlorine than your shower, most people wash way more often than they swim. Over time, that chlorine can create itchy, even scaly skin.

Your skin might be battling dryness, even more, thanks to the presence of hard water, another common by-product in the water supply. Luckily, our water conditioning treatments can cut back the effects of both chlorine and hard water.

Water Filter for Chlorine

You should feel relieved chlorine in the water supply doesn’t cause cancer. And you can feel confident that your water supply is being closely monitored by careful sets of professional eyes.

However, if you truly want to have total control over your water supply, you’ll want a professional water filter. Contact Benjamin Franklin Plumbing for all of your water conditioning needs.