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Testing for Chlorine
"chlorine test kits"
Many public and private water systems use a form of chlorine to sanitize
the water they supply to their users. While having clean, safe drinking water
does matter and chlorine helps make water that way, certain problems may
arise if chlorine concentrations get too high. The USEPA has set
the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for chlorine in potable water at 4.0 ppm.
Health Concerns: Chlorine can make you very ill if
ingested in too great a quantity. Also, those who have recently
undergone chemotherapy or other cancer treatment procedures may
want to consult with their physician about the possibility of
chlorine interfering with the medications they take.
Aesthetic Concerns: Chlorine tends to make water
smell and taste like a swimming pool. The last time you accidentally
swallowed pool water, you probably thought or said, "Yuck. This tastes nasty."
Therefore, water treatment companies of all shapes and sizes,
varieties and forms manufacture and sell a number of different
ways for people with unpleasant levels of chlorine in their
water supply to remove chlorine.
So why test for chlorine? Simple: 1) For those on water
systems which they fear prone to contamination, they may want to make
certain their water still contains chlorine by the time it when it
reaches their home or place of business. 2) For those with water treatment
systems, testing for chlorine at their faucet may give them the ability to
make certain their filtration system works properly because the presence
of chlorine in their water post-treatment would typically indicate the opposite.
Simply Frogg has found two easy-to-use, inexpensive chlorine testing products
which he feels work quite well for testing chlorine levels in
potable water: SenSafeTM Free Chlorine Water Check and WaterWorksTM 2 Free & Total Chlorine test strips.
For more information on those and other chlorine testing products, please visit the Water Testing Blog and search for "chlorine testing".
For additional information on intended chlorine levels for your local water supply, call your local Health Department and/or visit the USEPA’s website.
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