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100 YEARS OF WATER CHLORINATION important protective barrier for our bodies. When we shower with chlorinated water we are essentially exposing our skin to a relatively large volume of a dilute chlorine solution. Some of this chlorine reacts with the oils in the skin to form chlorinated compounds and it is these compounds which may then be absorbed by the body. It seems very likely, considering the strong oxidising power of chlorine, that regular exposure to chlorinated water serves also to promote the ageing processes of the skin, not unlike extended exposure to sunlight. Moreover, chlorine may actually enhance the ageing effects of ultraviolet radiation by reinforcing the process of cell deterioration. Gasses are as a rule less soluble in hot water, and when water is heated or boiled, dissolved gasses are released. Boiling water is as we noted earlier a way in which the free chlorine content in water is greatly reduced, the chlorine escaping into the air. When we have a hot shower or run a bath, we can sometimes smell the chlorine released as it escapes from the hot water. In a confined shower recess, however, especially one with poor ventilation, the chlorine escapes from the water as we continue our hot shower and steadily increases in concentration in the air we breath. The olfactory threshold for chlorine is about 3.5ppm (parts per million) so when we can smell chlorine, the concentration is already above this level. The lethal concentration for 10 minute exposure is about 600ppm and we suggest that regularly taking long hot showers with chlorinated water could pose a health risk. Chlorine causes pulmonary oedema, and it would seem likely that regular exposure to chlorine gas even at low levels such as in normal showering may reduce the oxygen transfer capacity of the lungs. This could be a critical factor for athletes and for others prone to heart failure. Another skin factor to be considered is the destruction by chlorine of the natural bacteria on our skin. Our skin has an ecology all of its own, which needs to be preserved in order to maintain healthy skin and its associated beauty. chlorine gas even at low levels such as in normal showering The complete chlorine-health picture is even larger and may reduce the oxygen transfer capacity of the lungs. This more disconcerting than we have intimated in the limited could be a critical factor for athletes and for others prone to pace available. Whenever a toxic substance is deliberately heart failure. added unreflectively in large quantities to the environment, Another aspect to be considered is our skin. Our skin isan _ the overall balance of nature —$— —————— Des APRIL-MAY 1992 30¢NEXUS bathing may be much less healthy than we ever supposed. THE EDUCATIONAL GOAL —"