HOW CHLORINE CLEANS POOLS
It’s the killer chemical that keeps you safe while you swim
WORDS SCOTT DUTFIELD
Floating dispensers slowly release chlorine into the water
Since the early 1900s, chlorine has been used as a chemical disinfectant and to clean swimming pools. Chlorine is bacteria’s worst nightmare. When chlorine hits the water it breaks down into hypochlorous acid and a hypochlorite ion, an atom with an electrical charge. Both the acid and ion are bad news for bacteria and their internal structure, breaking them apart and causing their death. The time it takes to tackle bacteria varies from species to species. Chlorine kills most Escherichia col in less than a minute, but can take around 45 minutes to kill pool parasites called giardia.