Having clean drinking water is very important, but it wasn’t always as easy to get as it is today. Because waterborne pathogens like cholera and dysentery used to be more commonplace in the 1900s, U.S. municipal water facilities began using chlorine to disinfect water. This was an effective and inexpensive way to kill microorganisms in drinking water and prevent disease.
The use of chlorine or chloramines to treat water is still common today, but research shows that this method comes with other disadvantages. Here are a few reasons why chlorine/chloramine removal is important for your water:
- Chlorine can create harmful by-products- When chlorine is used to disinfect water, it can form chemical compounds like trihalomethanes. These by-products are believed to be carcinogenic. In addition, some studies, such as this 2008 report, suggest that there is a link between these by-products and birth defects.
- Chlorine can make water taste or smell strange- No one wants to drink water that tastes or smells like a swimming pool, but chlorine/chloramine removal can resolve this problem easily.
- Chloramines can worsen skin condition- Chloramines can cause skin irritation and rashes, and they can even worsen existing skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis.
If you are interested in chlorine/chloramine removal at your home, we would be more than happy to answer your questions at Progressive Water Solutions LLC. If you would like to test your water for chlorine or chloramines, we offer free water testing for anyone who wants it in our service area. Contact us today.